John Fetterman says he ‘always supported’ fracking. Here’s a look at his past statements.
Fetterman's answer to a fracking question during Tuesday's debate with Mehmet Oz set off a firestorm from his critics. Here's a look at at his alleged flip-flop on the issue.
John Fetterman came under fire after Tuesday’s U.S. Senate debate for what some view as a policy flip-flop on fracking in Pennsylvania.
During his highly scrutinized debate with Republican nominee Mehmet Oz, Fetterman gave a clipped answer when asked about his past criticism of the fracking industry, which he now supports.
“I do support fracking,” Fetterman said, before pausing, then adding, “I support fracking, and I stand, and I do support fracking.”
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Fetterman has been open about his auditory processing struggles as he continues to recover from his May stroke — and his debate performance took center stage, as it was many voters’ first and only chance to see him answer live questions before the Nov. 8 election. But the Democrat’s position on fracking has been subject to criticism outside of his health issues.
His answer to the fracking question set off a firestorm from his opponents and even caused some diehard fans to worry.
Fetterman has long been trying to straddle his commitment for a green and renewable energy plan, while pledging to support the tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians employed by the fracking industry, particularly in the western part of the state where he lives.
» READ MORE: John Fetterman’s performance was center stage in lone Pa. Senate debate against Mehmet Oz
Oz and Republican commentators have repeatedly pointed to Fetterman’s past comments opposing fracking as both the mayor of Braddock, a borough in Allegheny County, and on the campaign trail for lieutenant governor. Oz, who also has criticized fracking in the past, called during Tuesday’s debate for more energy production in Pennsylvania.
Here’s a timeline of Fetterman’s alleged flip-flop.
Fetterman in 2018: ‘I don’t support fracking at all and I never have’
Tuesday’s fracking question stemmed from a comment Fetterman made in 2018 during an interview with a progressive YouTube channel called Real Progress in Action.
Fetterman, who was then running for lieutenant governor, made his opposition clear.
“I don’t support fracking, at all and I never have,” Fetterman said. “And I’ve, I’ve signed the no fossil fuels money pledge. I have never received a dime from any natural gas or oil company whatsoever.”
At the same time, Fetterman noted his support for two wells at a struggling steel mill near his hometown that supported 3,000 jobs. He hedged that support by noting that the state already had about 10,000 wells and that he recognized the “family-sustaining jobs” provided by the wells.
“That’s not pro-fracking,” he said, “that’s saying, I’m pro-union, I’m pro-family, I’m pro-steel.”
“My opposition to something does not outweigh your right to earn and to provide food, shelter and a living that takes care of you and your family,” he added.
Fetterman’s earlier statements on fracking
After Fetterman’s answer on Tuesday, Oz pointed to other comments Fetterman made about the natural gas industry prior to 2018.
In July, Republicans recirculated a 2016 Reddit post in which Fetterman, then running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, called fracking “a stain” on Pennsylvania, but one that was hard to fight due to the industry’s grip on the state.
“I am not pro-fracking and have stated that if we did things right in this state, we wouldn’t have fracking,” Fetterman wrote in the Reddit comment, which was resurfaced by Fox News this summer. “The industry is a stain on our state and natural resources. But yes, of course I worry about the viability of getting a ban on fracking done when the industry is already so entrenched in Pennsylvania.”
In 2016, during his unsuccessful first run for Senate, Fetterman was a vocal critic of the fracking industry, arguing for a moratorium on the practice in order to secure an extraction tax and stricter drilling regulations.
In October of that year, the state toughened regulations for the natural gas industry — a law that the Fetterman campaign has since called a turning point in the candidate’s position.
As lieutenant governor, Fetterman has described the difficult balancing act between employment, climate change, and energy policy in a partisan state government.
“We must move past a false binary that says: either you’re against fracking and you’re pure, or you’re in favor and you’re evil,” he tweeted in 2020.
Critics have accused him of catering to audience
Some have accused Fetterman of tailoring his position on fracking to his audience as he tries to balance his progressive bona fides on issues like clean energy with his promise to support jobs in the state’s booming energy sector.
For months, Fetterman has denied doing an about-face, casting his past comments in the light of calls for stricter environmental regulation around drilling.
“It was an environmental issue,” Fetterman said, when asked about the question in a highly criticized NBC News interview earlier this month. “I always support it, as long as it’s done environmentally sound and making sure that we’re not contaminating our waterways.”