Who will and who won’t ban fracking has emerged as a source of contention within the broader energy policy debate in the 2024 presidential campaign pitting Democrat nominee Vice President Kamala Harris against Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump.
Much of this discussion lacks a nuance voters should understand.
While a president cannot issue an executive order to unilaterally ban hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas and oil from deep shale formations, an administration has the capacity to impose regulatory restraints that could make it more difficult and expensive.
“No, a president doesn’t have the power to ban fracking,” said Kathleen Sgamma, president of the Denver-based Western Energy Alliance, which represents independent oil and natural gas companies across nine intermountain states….