NEW: Kamala Harris’ fracking ban faces backlash in Pennsylvania

NEW: Kamala Harris' fracking ban faces backlash in Pennsylvania

There's no question that Kamala Harris is the most far left presidential nominee in history, which will prove to be painful for down-ballot Democrats in swing districts across the country.

A new report shows Kamala Harris is facing backlash in Pennsylvania, the second-largest natural gas-producing state in the country, because she wants to ban fracking.

Read more here or see excerpts below.

VP Harris faces backlash in crucial swing state after her 'disastrous' anti-fracking position resurfaces
Fox News
Andrew Mark Miller
July 23, 2024

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is facing renewed criticism for her past support of banning fracking, which she boldly proclaimed while running for president in 2019, particularly from critics pointing out the popularity of fracking in Rust Belt states like Pennsylvania.

"There's no question I'm in favor of banning fracking," Harris said during a 2019 town hall on CNN as a presidential candidate.

"And starting with what we can do on day one around public lands, right? And then there has to be legislation, but, yes, that's' something I've taken on in California. I have a history of working on this issue and to your point we have to just acknowledge that the residual impact of fracking is enormous in terms of the health and safety of communities."

[…]

"Banning fracking would cause home electricity costs to skyrocket and devastate Western PA's natural gas economy," Republican state Rep. Rob Mercuri, who is running for Congress in Pennsylvania's 17th District, told Fox News Digital.

"Clean natural gas production is America's best opportunity for reliable and affordable energy needs well into the future. Expanding America's energy economy will provide thousands of good union and non union jobs for hard-working Pennsylvanians. As your congressman, I will always support the production of clean natural gas."

Harris also faced intense criticism from conservatives on social media after Biden announced he was dropping out of the presidential race and endorsing his vice president.

"Kamala Harris is even more extreme than Joe Biden - She wants to ban fracking and kill countless jobs in states like PA for American workers," Donald Trump Jr. posted on X.

"This is who Bob Casey just endorsed for the presidency," GOP Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick posted on X in response to Sen. Bob Casey's endorsement of Harris.

"Dear Pennsylvania… take it from this Californian, don't let Kamala Harris anywhere near your energy sources," former acting Director of the United States National Intelligence Ric Grenell posted on X.

"She's a radical environmentalist even for California. Even Obama eventually read the science and agreed to fracking. As Attorney General, Kamala worked overtime to make sure liquid natural gas (LNG) terminals were not built throughout the entire state of California."

"Fracking supports tens of thousands of jobs in swing states like Pennsylvania," Power The Future founder and Executive Director Daniel Turner posted on X. "There's no question that energy is on the ballot in November."

[…]

Overall, the fossil fuel industry in Pennsylvania supports about 50,547 jobs, a 2021 report published by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection showed.

Pennsylvania, believed to be one of the states the 2024 election will hinge on, is the second-largest producer of natural gas in the U.S. behind only Texas, according to the Energy Information Administration. Driven largely by its natural gas production and power plant generation, Pennsylvania is the largest electricity exporter in the country.

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