Considering Swing State Voters... Reversal of Fracking Ban
Vice President Kamala Harris previously supported the mandate for electric vehicles but no longer does, Fox News and others reported on the 4th (local time).
Harris's presidential campaign recently stated in a 'fact check' email responding to Republican attacks that "Vice President Harris does not support an electric vehicle mandate."
The campaign criticized Republican vice presidential candidate Senator J.D. Vance, saying, "Vance is lying by claiming that 'Harris wants to force all Americans to own electric vehicles.'" However, no further explanation was provided regarding Harris's stance against the electric vehicle mandate.
This appears to be mindful of the fact that the automotive industry plays a central role in the economy of battleground states such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania?regions known as the Rust Belt (the declining northern industrial area along the Great Lakes in the U.S.)?which could determine the outcome of the presidential election.
While serving as a senator in 2019, Vice President Harris co-sponsored the "Carbon Zero Vehicle Act," which mandated that 100% of new passenger cars sold in the U.S. by 2040 be zero-emission vehicles. The online media Axios reported that the only passenger cars meeting this standard are electric and hydrogen vehicles.
In the 2020 presidential election, Harris pledged to promote the "Carbon Zero Vehicle Act," aiming to increase the share of zero-emission vehicles among passenger cars sold in the U.S. to 50% by 2030 and 100% by 2035.
Axios asked whether Harris would sign or veto the 2019 bill mandating electric vehicle sales if it passed Congress, but Harris's campaign did not respond.
Vice President Harris has not presented specific pledges related to electric vehicles. The Biden administration supports electric vehicle purchases through tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
Former President Donald Trump claimed that the Biden-Harris administration mandates electric vehicles and vowed to repeal such mandates if elected.
Vice President Harris has also retreated from banning hydraulic fracturing (fracking) for shale gas extraction. Like electric vehicles, fracking is related to the economy of the battleground state of Pennsylvania, and it appears she changed her position accordingly. During the 2020 presidential election, Harris pledged to ban fracking as part of climate change response and environmental protection. However, in a CNN interview late last month, she stated that clean energy expansion is possible without banning fracking. When asked about the reason for her change in stance, she only replied, "My values have not changed."
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