Q: You and President Biden have not banned fracking, and you have promised not to do so, but you said you supported a fracking ban during your campaign in 2019. Why should the American public believe you won’t do it once you are in office?
A: Unlike Donald Trump, we actually believe that climate change is an existential threat to the American people. It isn’t just a hypothetical problem for the future anymore; the American people are experiencing it every day in the form of soaring insurance rates, which are making housing unaffordable in some areas. Not to mention the deaths and the property damage people are suffering from excessive heat, wildfires, and hurricanes. Donald Trump thinks storm victims are just acceptable collateral damage and throws them paper towels. We actually want to protect them.
As a result, Joe and I pushed the Inflation Reduction Act through Congress. It is a landmark piece of legislation. It will help us with the transition to a clean energy economy, particularly with electric cars. But the transition takes time. It is a massive undertaking. It won’t happen overnight.
During the transition period, we need to generate as much oil and gas domestically as possible. And it is only fair to point out that oil and gas production have reached record highs during our administration.
And so, the answer to the question is, I won’t ban fracking because the American people can’t be left holding the bag with soaring energy costs during the transition period. That would make no sense.