Politics

Biden Claimed He Never Said He Opposes Fracking. Here’s What He’s Said Previously

(Photo credit BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Brianna Lyman News and Commentary Writer
Font Size:

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Thursday during the final presidential debate that he has never said he opposes fracking, but his previous statements say otherwise.

“I have never said I oppose fracking,” Biden said Thursday.

President Donald Trump then shot back “you said it on tape!” before Biden demanded Trump “show the tape!”

Following the debate Trump tweeted a compilation of times Biden said he’d get rid of fracking.

During the July, 2019 Democratic primary debate, Biden said there would be no place for fossil fuel.

“We would work it out. We would make sure it’s eliminated and no more subsidies for either one of those – any fossil fuel.”

Months later Biden was asked if he would “be willing to sacrifice some of” the economic growth that has occurred partly due to gas and oil production.

“The answer is yes,” Biden said. “The answer is yes, because the opportunity, the opportunity for those workers to transition to high paying jobs, as Tom [Steyer] said, is real. We’re the only country that’s taken great crises and turned them into enormous opportunities.” (RELATED: Is Biden’s Climate Plan Another Version Of The Green New Deal? Here’s How The Two Stack Up)

Biden repeated a similar claim during the March Democratic debate, promising to stop new fracking projects.

Biden also suggested he could transition the country away from fossil fuel-powered transportation and toward “high speed rail, taking millions of automobiles off the road. Making sure we move in a direction where no more drilling on federal lands.”

Biden’s running mate, Democratic California Sen. Kamala Harris was also on board to ban fracking.

“There is no question I’m in favor of banning fracking,” Harris said during a CNN presidential town hall.

More recently Biden has backtracked on his stance, saying in August that he will not ban fracking.