HARRISBURG, Pa. – A recent statement from U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman about looking to a future with more renewable energy has raised concerns again about his stance on fracking.
In a video clip, available on YouTube (that appears to have been taken at a Pride event) Fetterman answers an apparent question regarding the issue.
“You can’t just up and say, for example: ‘We’re banning fracking tomorrow,'” Fetterman says in the video.
“I don’t agree with that. I never have. And, I’ve never taken any money from the industry. My opinions come from what I believe is the honest important way that we, as a nation, and we, as Pennsylvanians, evolve toward a greener renewable energy future.”
A release from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) cites the video footage and accuses Fetterman of “flip-flopping” on the issue by implying that he does want to eventually ban fracking.
National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Spokeswoman Lizzie Litzow goes on to denounce Fetterman for “dancing around the issue.”
“John Fetterman is still caught between his hyper-liberal base and the vast majority of Pennsylvanians who support an industry that employs tens of thousands of blue-collar workers,” Litzow said in the release.
“Fracking is an integral part of Pennsylvania’s economy. And, according to recent NRSC national polling, 62% of American voters, including 65% of independents, oppose a ban on fracking.”
It isn’t the first time Fetterman has been accused of flip-flopping on the issue of fracking, and some of the criticism has come from those who do support a ban.
The national environmental group Food & Water Action issued a release in February noting that Fetterman signed a pledge supporting a statewide moratorium on fracking during his 2016 senate campaign, then took the opposite position during the 2020 presidential campaign.
“On several occasions, Fetterman promised to stand with the communities fighting the powerful industry, only to abandon those commitments after elections had passed,” the release states.
Fetterman spoke up about the issue of fracking in February, as well, taking to Twitter to call for a less black and white perspective on fracking.
“The fracking debate exposes a dual truth in American politics: Republicans must get honest about climate. My party must get honest about energy and industry. The messy collision of these realities is most stark here in Pennsylvania,” Fetterman stated.
“We must move past a false binary that says: either you’re against fracking and you’re pure, or you’re in favor and you’re evil,” he added in a second Tweet.
In an interview with Gizmodo earlier this year, Fetterman reiterated his perspective on that intersection of industry and climate issues.
“There needs to be a reasoned, rational approach, but also with the explicit agreement and knowledge that we must transition towards green, renewable energy. And, we must do it quickly and ethically and in an environmentally sound way. The existing workers and industry, those communities need to be respected, and they need to be assisted in that transition.”
He went on to clarify why he didn’t support an immediate ban on fracking.
“I did not support an immediate national fracking ban on Day One because I also would ask: ‘If you stop producing natural gas on Day One, where does the 40% of our nation’s electricity that natural gas generates come from?'”
Fetterman also noted that his perspective on taking both industry and the environment into consideration has been difficult for his constituents, at times.
“It’s always a false choice between jobs and the environment, and I’ve never bought into that. I’ve lost votes on having a more nuanced view on fracking and other issues. But, I also have gained votes on the other side by simply acknowledging the truth and trying to move them along with this realization that jobs are going to be there. We just have to make sure that the transition is reasonable, fair, and appropriate.”
The fracking debate has been an ongoing issue in Pennsylvania and the nation for a number of years and has become a hot-button issue again recently.
In mid-June, Judge Terry A. Doughty, of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, blocked the Biden administration’s suspension of new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters, granting a preliminary injunction against the Biden administration.
The injunction states that the power to pause offshore oil and gas leases “lies solely with Congress.” The court-issued injunction states that as it was the legislative branch that originally made federal lands and waters available for leasing, the power to pause those leases remains with the legislative branch, as well.
During a House committee hearing in late June, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland indicated that the Biden administration would not continue to pursue an oil and gas leasing ban on public lands.
“I don’t think there is a plan right now for a permanent ban,” Haaland said during the hearing.
The Biden administration is reportedly preparing a review of the oil and gas leasing program, which will be released this summer.
