It’s no longer the primaries. Tonight, the two U.S. presidential candidates face off in a debate hosted by ABC, and neither is expected to offer any radical policies, even on energy.

To frack or not to frack

Tonight’s debate will hardly end without one of the most talked about topics in the energy world: fracking. It’s a topic that will likely come up, given that the vice president’s policy change is already up for debate.

“There’s no question that I support a ban on fracking,” Kamala Harris said at the 2019 Presidential Town Hall on CNN. “Yes. And starting with what we can do on Day 1 around public lands, and then there’s legislation. But yes, and this is something that I’ve addressed in California. I have a history of working on this issue.”

Harris went even further, and in her defense against then-President Biden, she argued during the campaign that “Joe Biden will not ban fracking. That’s a fact. That’s a fact.”

Harris’ interview with CNN a few weeks ago showed how much closer she has moved to the center since her failed bid for the highest office in the land. “What I’ve seen is that we can grow and create a clean energy economy without banning fracking,” Harris told CNN interviewer Dana Bash.

The answer to the fracking question is really about which voters Harris is courting tonight. Some analysts suggest that the vice president doesn’t need to back down from her strict “ban fracking” policy to win Pennsylvania. Others argue that sticking to her positions on a fracking ban won’t entice enough Pennsylvania voters to secure the state for her campaign in November.

But both candidates have largely secured their own parties’ voter bases. The battle for independents has now begun.

Permit

The oil and gas industry will likely be watching tonight’s debate to see where the candidates stand — at least at this point in their campaigns — on the bureaucratic permitting processes that continue to thwart major projects like pipelines.

LNG Breaks, Electric Vehicles and Lawsuits

Other energy topics include U.S. energy security and how it relates to the freeze on LNG export projects, electric vehicle subsidies and emissions regulations that affect consumer choices when it comes to vehicle purchases, and lawsuits against oil companies.

America First

Former President Donald Trump appears to be pursuing an energy policy similar to that of his previous campaigns. He would likely end the pause on LNG export permits and expand the scope of drilling auctions as part of the five-year offshore oil and gas leasing program, pushing the United States toward the lowest costs for energy and electricity in the world.

By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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