Former VIce President Joe Biden has made divergent remarks about energy. (Photo credit: KEREM YUCEL/AFP via Getty Images)
Don’t be fooled by Joe Biden’s multiple flip-flops on fracking.
Take it from a recovering politician who has too often seen the likes of career politicians like him: the Biden-Harris ticket fully intends to drive fracking into the ground, regardless of the devastating consequences it will have on the economy, welfare of American households, and national security.
In New Hampshire on Sept. 4, 2019, Joe Biden took a young woman’s hand and said “I want you to look at my eyes. I guarantee you. I guarantee you. We’re going to end fossil fuel.”
At the March 15 Democratic debate, he similarly said there would be “no new fracking” if he were elected president.
But after making these promises, he soon discovered they weren’t popular with voters in states he needs to win, like Pennsylvania and Ohio. So how did his handlers get him out of it? Simple – make a new promise and just add the disclaimer, “on federal lands.”
Consequentially, since then he has changed his messaging to “no new fracking…on federal land.”
Having previously served in public office, I’ve witnessed how career politicians like Joe Biden pander to voters until they’re in the seat of power. In this circumstance, it’s clear that Joe Biden is playing numerous audiences, telling them exactly what they want to hear to get him elected.
But here’s some news for the Democratic presidential candidate: it’s too late. Joe Biden has made his stance on the issue clear. And it just so happens to align with the radical climate agenda of his socialist advisors, including Carol Browner and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, champions of the Green New Deal.
Under a Biden administration, fossil fuels and fracking would be a distant memory for American workers. And it would change America as we know it.
Fossil fuels currently supply 80% of the U.S. and the world’s energy. It would be extremely difficult and expensive to replace this energy with something else. According to the Institute for Energy Research, in 62 years, renewables have gone from 7% to a measly 12% of our energy supply – and that’s after hundreds of billions of dollars spent.
Additionally, the costs of gas, electric, and natural gas bills would skyrocket. Research from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce shows that if the nation were to ban only fracking in 2021 — not even all fossil fuel harvests — gas prices would nearly double, home heating costs would triple, and 5.9 million Americans would lose their jobs by 2025.
It would also cost households in places like Wisconsin, Michigan, and across the country an additional $400 to $500 more per month for their energy and their living needs.
As if that’s not catastrophic enough, Joe Biden’s pledge to end fossil fuels would also put U.S. national security at risk. According to the Institute for Energy Research, the U.S. became energy independent in 2019, for the first time since 1957. This has profound effects on economic security, economic power, and our nation’s place in the world.
Imagine what would happen to American energy independence if electric cars were mandated, and regular electricity blackouts, like in California, made waves throughout the entire nation. For example, what if you were forced to buy an electric vehicle, and then could not charge it when the electric blackouts happen? With the Biden-Harris energy policies, blackouts would become commonplace.
If the Biden-Harris ticket and its allies throttle back 80% of our energy without a real plan to replace it, American energy will never be affordable, available, or abundant again.
So which Joe Biden should voters believe? The one from 2019, March, or October? Or perhaps voters should believe his extremist allies, which he chooses as his advisors. After all, as they say, you are who you hang around.
Election year promises are often broken. Voters should believe Mr. Biden and his allies’ original stance on fracking and fossil fuels and recognize these shifting empty promises for what they are. Americans, don’t be fooled! It would be a costly mistake.
Frank Lasee is a former Wisconsin State Senator and former member of Governor Walker’s administration. The district he represented had two nuclear power plants, a biomass plant and numerous wind towers. He has deep experience dealing with energy, the environment and climate.
