Republican Dave McCormick has painted his opponent, incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, as an enemy to fracking and fossil fuels — an especially pertinent claim in the Keystone State, where natural gas is a dominant industry and fracking is a perennial campaign issue.
In a recent X post, McCormick went a step further, saying Casey wants to ban the practice outright.
“While Bob Casey and Kamala Harris want to BAN fracking, I’ll fight to UNLEASH Pennsylvania’s natural resources and make America energy dominant,” McCormick said in the post, which was accompanied by a 20-second clip of a local TV interview.
Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, extracts oil and natural gas from shale deep underground. Water, sand and other chemicals are injected at high pressure into wells to crack open rock layers and release natural gas. The gas is then extracted and used for energy.
It’s big business in Pennsylvania, which produces more than 7 trillion cubic feet of natural gas per year.
Republicans attacked Harris for supporting a fracking ban when she ran for president in 2020, a policy her campaign now says she opposes. McCormick has tried to tie Casey to Harris’ past positions and argue he would hurt the fracking industry in Pennsylvania.
But Casey, who is seeking a fourth Senate term, has never called to ban fracking. His public statements and voting record show consistent support for allowing fracking to continue with environmental regulations. Casey’s campaign website lists him as understanding “the economic benefits and energy independence that Pennsylvania’s energy industry provides, which is why he has opposed bans on fracking.”
Earlier in August, Casey underscored his position in a statement to Erie News Now, writing, “If any administration proposes a fracking ban, not only will I vote against it but I will lead the effort to make sure a ban won’t get started, let alone enacted into law.”
We asked the McCormick campaign for evidence to support the claim that Casey wants to ban fracking, but received no response.
What is Casey’s history on fracking?
Christopher Borick, a political science professor and the director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion, which regularly polls Pennsylvania residents, said Casey hasn’t historically supported a fracking ban.
“I have never heard those words uttered from Casey, I’ve never seen a policy position calling for a ban,” Borick said.
Many environmental activists oppose fracking, arguing it can pollute water and air supplies and trigger earthquakes. Natural gas also contributes to climate change by releasing planet-warming greenhouse gasses into the air, though at a lower rate than crude oil and coal.
Casey has introduced the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals (FRAC) Act multiple times in the Senate, but it has not advanced out of a committee. The bill would give the Environmental Protection Agency more regulatory authority over fracking and would require fracking operations to disclose the chemicals they inject underground..
The Casey campaign pointed us to his statements and votes opposing fracking bans.
In 2021, Casey was one of seven Democrats who joined Republicans to vote for an amendment that would prohibit the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Environmental Protection Agency from creating rules to ban fracking.
In 2020, after Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduced legislation to ban fracking, a Casey spokesperson told the Beaver County Times Casey “does not favor” banning the practice.
After President Joe Biden’s administration announced a temporary pause on exports of liquified natural gas this year, Casey and fellow Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania criticized the decision.
McCormick’s post also claims Harris wants to ban fracking. Harris said she supported a ban on fracking when she ran for president in 2020. In a 2019 CNN town hall, she said, “There’s no question I’m in favor of banning fracking.”
When Harris became Biden’s running mate for the general election, she aligned with his policies, which did not involve a fracking ban. When asked about her position now, Harris campaign spokesperson James Singer referred us to articles in Politico and The Hill, in which Harris’ campaign said she does not support banning fracking.
Our ruling
McCormick said Casey and Harris “want to ban fracking.”
There is no evidence that Casey has ever called to ban fracking. He has supported legislation to protect fracking and proposed legislation to impose environmental regulations on the practice. He told a local news station he would oppose any efforts to ban fracking by the presidential administration.
Harris did support a fracking ban when she ran for president in 2020. Now, her campaign says she does not support banning fracking.
McCormick mischaracterized Casey’s fracking support by linking his position to Harris’ previous disapproval. We rate this claim False.