Analysts and environmental advocates say Harris’ approach toward fossil fuel development puts her to the left of Biden
Like Biden, Harris has been unequivocal in calling the climate crisis an emergency, saying last year it is “one of the most urgent matters of our time.” (Photo: PTI)
“She is the kind of leader who will hold the fossil fuel industry accountable, and that’s what we need right now,” Representative Jared Huffman, a Democrat from Harris’ home state of California, said in an interview. “She would absolutely carry on and build on the success of the Biden administration on climate and clean energy.”
Analysts and environmental advocates say Harris’ approach toward fossil fuel development puts her to the left of Biden, who moved to temporarily halt offshore oil lease sales his first week in office but didn’t follow through on his campaign promise to completely ban new oil and gas permitting on public lands and waters.
For instance, Harris in 2019 called for a ban on fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, the oil industry practice used to coax oil and gas from dense rock formations, although Biden never supported the move. She’s also been particularly critical of offshore oil development, seeking to limit new drilling off the California coast and, as the state’s attorney general, going to court to challenge the federal government’s permitting of fracking in Pacific waters.
Environmental advocates said Sunday that Harris would be unflinching against fossil fuel companies. “Vice President Harris has a history of standing up to Big Oil,” said Jeff Ordower of 350 Action.
To be sure, Harris’ role as California’s attorney general — a position she held for six years — put her in a naturally combative stance against companies alleged to have violated state laws. There’s no guarantee she’d be so pugilistic in the White House.
Yet, Harris emphasised her California fights against oil companies when she campaigned for president in 2019. “Kamala knows we need to take on big oil companies to win this fight — and that’s exactly what she’s done throughout her career,” according to her presidential campaign website’s climate platform.
