Kamala Harris said to be more anti-oil and gas than Biden

It appears that there will be a clear choice in November for those who are already worrying about a potential collapse in the nations' power grids due to the radical policies coming out of Washington.

Vice President Kamala Harris has had a contentious relationship with the oil and gas industry (Susan Walsh/Associated Press), Houston Chronicle.

It certainly has been a whirlwind of political events in the last few weeks, especially the near assassination of President Trump. With the hasty ouster of Joe Biden and the apparent coronation of Kamala Harris as the next Democrat presidential candidate, attention has quickly turned to Harris’ record regarding the oil and gas industry.

It is well known that Biden declared war on the U.S. oil and gas industry on day one of his presidency by canceling the Keystone Pipeline along with many other anti-oil and gas executive orders. That was just the beginning of his war on the oil and gas industry. It is fair to say that Biden has been consistent in his anti-oil and gas stance and tried to make good on his campaign promise: “I guarantee you. I guarantee you. We’re going to end fossil fuel.”

With Biden now unceremoniously booted out of the presidential race by his party, voters should immediately turn to the energy policies likely to come from Kamala Harris. The short story is that it isn’t good. The “Houston Chronicle” ran an article yesterday, July 23, 2024, titled “How Kamala Harris made an enemy of the U.S. oil industry and what it means for her candidacy.” The title tips off what Harris can expect if she somehow becomes president of the United States. Since the Chronicle has a paywall and, as a previous long-time resident of Houston, I still subscribe to the Chronicle, I wanted to provide a summary for my Substack readers.

A few statements in the article by long-time energy writer for the Houston Chronicle, James Osborne, who has interviewed me many times, capture where Harris stands regarding the oil and gas industry:

As a Democratic presidential candidate in 2019, then-Sen. Kamala Harris supported a ban on hydraulic fracturing and spending trillions of dollars on a "Green New Deal" to bring greenhouse gas emissions to net zero within a decade. 

Also telling is the fact that the anti-fossil fuel environmentalists are drooling all over themselves about Biden’s sudden replacement:

Harris, who still has to win the nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month, is viewed by environmentalists as stronger on climate and environmental justice issues than Biden, with the potential to go further in shifting the nation from oil and other fossil fuels.

Harris is also a hardcore representative of the so-called climate movement:

"It's not just a talking point for her. It's been a priority her entire career," said Luke Metzger, executive director of the nonprofit Environment Texas. "She would continue with the very strong track record of Biden, who I would say has the best track record on climate of any president in U.S. history."

(Harris) was one of a number of Democratic state attorneys general to investigate whether Spring-based Exxon Mobil lied in its financial disclosures about the threat climate change posed to its business.

As senator, she joined with Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, to introduce legislation forcing federal agencies to consider the impact of climate spending and legislation on frontline communities such as those surrounding Houston's refining and petrochemical complex. The legislation would be incorporated into the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

Osborn said that while Harris has been in the anti-fracking camp, it is unclear if she will continue on that course because of the potential loss of voters in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Ohio, and other swing states in the Marcellus Shale area:

The question hanging over Harris' campaign now is whether she would take the more aggressive positions she took as a candidate in 2019, like those on fracking, the Green New Deal and the creation of an international consortium to end to fossil fuel subsidies. 

Harris ultimately backed off her anti-fracking position, and the Biden administration never supported the other measures. Were Harris to do so now, she would risk alienating independent voters seen as critical to beating former President Donald Trump.

In a note to its clients on Monday, Clearview Energy Partners:

The campaign may see a stepped-up emphasis on climate policy as a way to reinvigorate support from the under-30 voters whose turnout could potentially decide closely contested swing states.

My take: Harris established herself in California as a staunch anti-oil and gas warrior, and the chances of her deviating from that background are slim. While the environmental NGOs are holding off on endorsing Harris as the Democratic nominee, her radical anti-oil and gas and pro-green new scam record cannot be ignored. I expect Harris will soon reveal herself as a much more radical anti-oil and gas candidate than Joe Biden. The oil and gas industry is undoubtedly developing plans to deal with Harris’ radical energy policies should she be coronated at the Democrat convention. Watching her energy policies unfold over the next few weeks will be telling.

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