Harris said she won't ban fracking during presidential debate with Trump. But what is it?

Vice President Kamala Harris said she would not ban fracking during Tuesday's presidential debate, but what is it, and when did the VP say she would ban it?

In 2019, Harris called for a fracking ban while campaigning for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential primary.

However, during her first sit-down interview in August, after she announced she was running for president,  Harris said she would not ban fracking.

Tuesday night, during the presidential debate with former President Donald Trump in Philadelphia, she reiterated that she would not ban fracking.

"I made that very clear in 2020, I will not ban fracking," said Harris after one of the moderators, Linsey Davis, asked her about her stance on the topic.

What is fracking?

Hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, is a method used to extract natural gas and oil from deep within the Earth’s surface, according to National Geographic.

Chemicals, water and sand are injected at a high pressure to open and widen cracks below the surface of the Earth and retrieve the natural gas and oil that the world is dependent on.

Fracking takes place across the United States in areas like New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia, according to National Geographic, making it a hot topic during the 2024 presidential debate.

What did Harris say about fracking?

Despite changing her stance on a fracking ban, Harris said her "values have not changed," and that the country needed to invest in diverse sources of energy to "reduce our reliance on foreign oil."

"I have not banned fracking as Vice President of the United States," said Harris. "And, in fact, I was the tie-breaking vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, which opened new leases for fracking."

She added reduced that the method reduced the country's reliance on foreign oil.

However, Trump argued that, despite what she was saying, she still held the same stance and would ban the method.

"She's been against it for 12 years," said the former president when it was his turn to respond.

"She wants to confiscate your guns and she will never allow fracking in Pennsylvania. If she won the election, fracking in Pennsylvania will end on day one."

Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, follow her on X, formerly Twitter, Instagram and TikTok: @juliamariegz, or email her at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is fracking in politics and why did Harris say she won't ban it?