A shale gas well drilling site is photographed in 2020 in St. Mary’s, Pa., a key battleground state where the shale gas industry has brought many jobs.
Keith Srakocic/AP
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Keith Srakocic/AP
In a live interview with CNN on Thursday, Vice President Harris said she would not ban shale gas drilling if elected president, a reversal from her stance during her first presidential run.
Democratic candidate tried to explain Why did her stance change from opposing shale gas to supporting it?
“What I see is that we can grow and strengthen the clean energy economy without banning shale gas,” she told CNN’s Dana Bash.
When she first ran for president in 2019, Harris said she firmly supported a ban on shale gas fracking — a position she later abandoned when she joined President Biden’s campaign as his running mate, in favor of his opposition to such a ban. Despite the Biden administration’s comprehensive initiatives to address climate change, The president also oversaw the United States’ largest oil boom. — or the world — experienced.
It’s been years since the issue has received such national attention. Before this week, the last time Google saw higher search interest for “fracking” was in October 2020, a month before the most recent presidential election. For the Republican ticket, former President Donald Trump is expected to to try to convince voters that unlike him, Harris wants to stop shale gas drilling.
This is a particularly important issue for voters in Pennsylvania, a key swing state. where the shale gas industry has fueled industrial and economic growth in the western and northern parts of the state.
If you need a refresher, here’s a quick summary of shale gas extraction methods.
What is shale gas extraction?
Fracking — short for hydraulic fracturing — is the process of extracting gas or oil deep underground using a high-pressure mixture of water, sand, and chemicals to break up rock.
Shale gas extraction has allowed oil and gas companies to tap into huge energy resources that were previously thought untapped.
Why is it controversial?
Proponents emphasize its positives: The shale gas boom has lowered global oil and gas prices, cut U.S. dependence on foreign oil production and brought new jobs to revive the economy. It has also helped the U.S. transition stay away from coal production for power plants and towards natural gas.
However, drilling technology has yet to address the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, one of the causes of climate change.
Fracking also raises concerns about air and water quality. Drilling and transporting gas can lead to methane leaka potent greenhouse gas that warms the planet faster than carbon dioxide.
For years, research has shown that shale gas extraction depletes water tables, creates toxic air pollution, and causes noise in nearby communities. It is also linked to drinking water pollution and earthquakes.
The hydraulic fracturing process itself can cause small seismic activity — and the underground discharge of wastewater used in the process has caused larger, destructive earthquakes, according to the United States Geological Survey.
How much shale gas drilling is going on in the United States?
Over the past decade, shale oil production by volume in the United States has quadrupled and shows no signs of slowing. Last year, the country averaged 12.9 million barrels of oil per day—a record high, according to the Energy Information Administration. Nearly two-thirds of that oil production fracked natural gas production also hit a record high (8.4 million barrels per day). Also in 2023, fracked natural gas production hit a record 81.5 billion cubic feet per day.
ONE much of that hydraulic fracturing The drilling is taking place in what is known as the Permian region of west Texas and eastern New Mexico, where there are more active rigs than in the other 48 states combined.
