During a debate, Vice President Kamala Harris highlighted her efforts to promote clean energy by asserting that the Biden-Harris administration had achieved "the largest increase in domestic oil production in history" due to their strategy of not overly relying on foreign oil. This statement, made by Harris—who has been a staunch advocate for climate action and supported the original Green New Deal—took both supporters and opponents by surprise. It also seemed at odds with the frequent claims by Harris and President Joe Biden of being leaders in combating global warming.
Following former President Donald Trump's withdrawal of the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Biden-Harris administration rejoined the international accord aimed at cutting emissions. They also set a goal to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and took steps to fast-track renewable energy projects while moving away from fossil fuels.
Liam Donovan, a Republican strategist, noted that it was significant that Harris chose to emphasise something that President Biden had scarcely mentioned during a debate in energy-rich Pennsylvania. He remarked that domestic fossil fuel production under the Biden administration was at an all-time high, with crude production averaging 12.9 million barrels a day last year, surpassing the previous record set in 2019 under Trump, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Donovan described this statement as "another sign of Harris' sprint to the middle" on energy policy and other issues.
Harris also took the opportunity to reframe the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act—the administration's key climate legislation—as a positive development for fracking and other drilling activities, a perspective supported by lease-sale requirements added to the bill by independent Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a prominent supporter of the fossil fuel industry. This remark left some in the environmental community disappointed.
Stevie O'Hanlon, a spokesperson for the Sunrise Movement, expressed frustration, stating that Harris had missed a crucial chance to contrast herself sharply with Trump and demonstrate to young voters her commitment to standing up to Big Oil and addressing the climate crisis.
