US Oil Boom Turns Kamala Harris Into an Unlikely Fracking Supporter
The candidate touts the benefits of energy independence even as she pledges to continue Biden’s decarbonization push.
A pumpjack oil rig in Odessa, Texas.
Photographer: Mark McLennan
Kamala Harris has a claim to serving in one of the greatest presidential administrations for the US fossil fuel industry in history. Domestic oil and gas output, refining margins and company profits have all hit record highs during her tenure as Joe Biden’s vice president. America is currently the world’s top oil producer, pumping almost 50% more crude each day than Saudi Arabia.
All of this seems at odds with an administration that pledged a clean energy revolution four years ago and led the US back into the Paris Agreement on its first day. It’s especially surprising for Harris, who built up her political credentials by challenging Big Oil in court over environmental violations while serving as California’s attorney general. Campaigning for the Democratic nomination in the last presidential election cycle, she said there was “no question” she’d ban fracking if elected president, a position she’s since reversed.