Harris’ Dishonest Energy Posturing

August 30, 2024

Vice President Kamala Harris’s interview last night was yet another example of her saying whatever it takes for political expediency, despite years of anti-energy policy. Her sudden change of tune is a slap in the face to American energy workers and consumers who have long suffered from her radical green agenda.

Let’s take a look at her history fighting against the American energy industry:

• As California Attorney General, Harris used the power of that office to go after America’s oil and gas industry. She prosecuted companies for simply operating their businesses, setting the stage for her anti-energy crusade.
• As a U.S. Senator, Harris cosponsored the Green New Deal, which would cost taxpayers at least $5 trillion dollars.
• As Vice President, she held the line defending the President Biden’s agenda and casting key tiebreaking votes, each time against American energy workers. In February of 2021, she cast the tiebreaking vote against the Keystone XL pipeline. Then, in August 2022, she again cast the tiebreaking vote, this time for the pro-inflationary Inflation Reduction Act, which seeks to ween the United States off fossil fuels and towards more expensive, less reliable, highly extractive, and China-dependent “renewable” forms of energy. She also supported policies to ban on gas stoves, eliminate gas-powered vehicles, prevent LNG exports, and restrict power plants from producing reliable energy for the grid in desperate need of more generation.

Now, as the Democratic nominee, Harris thinks American won’t notice her newfound “strategic ambiguity” toward American energy production. Her record on issues important for energy works is clear. As Power The Future Executive Director stated in response to her rambling interview yesterday with CNN’s Dana Bash, “if Kamala Harris can so quickly reject her firm energy positions from the past, there is no telling how quickly she’ll renounce today’s positions in the future.”

Harris’ recent attempts to soften her stance are nothing more than political theater with less than 66 days until Election Day. She knows that her anti-energy policies are unpopular with voters, so she’s trying to hide her true colors. But the American people won’t be fooled.

Last night made clear that energy is on the ballot in November, and American voters will not forget her record of hostility towards American energy. Our energy security and affordability are too important of issues to not have an honest debate about where each of the candidates stand. It’s time to hold Harris accountable for her anti-energy past and reject her political posturing.