Harris says she won't ban fracking. What to know about the controversial topic

In a sit-down interview with CNN on Thursday, Vice President Harris said she wouldn’t ban fracking if elected president, a reversal of her position during her first presidential run.

The Democratic nominee attempted to explain why her position has changed from being against fracking to being in favor of it.

“What I have seen is that we can grow, and we can increase a clean energy economy without banning fracking,” she told CNN’s Dana Bash.

When she first ran for president in 2019, Harris had said she was firmly in favor of banning fracking — a stance she later abandoned when she joined President Biden’s campaign as his running mate, to side with his opposition to such a ban. Despite the Biden administration's sweeping initiatives to address climate change, the president has also overseen the largest oil boom the U.S. — or the world — has experienced.

It’s been years since the issue has seen this much national attention. Before this week, the last time Google saw higher search interest for “fracking” was in October 2020, a month before the last presidential election.As for the Republican ticket, former President Donald Trump is expected to try to convince voters otherwise — that unlike him, Harris wants to halt fracking.

It’s a particularly key issue for voters in Pennsylvania, a critical swing statewhere the fracking industry has driven industrial and economic growth in the western and northern parts of the state.

If you’re in need of a refresher, here’s a quick overview on fracking.

What is fracking?

Fracking — shorthand for hydraulic fracturing — is the process of extracting gas or oil deep underground using a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals to break up rock.

Fracking has allowed oil and gas