Monday, CNN business and politics correspondent Vanessa Yurkevich reported that voters in Western Pennsylvania were “still pretty confused” on 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s position on fracking. Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), have both said on the campaign trail they support banning fracking, although Biden recently claimed during the final presidential debate that he never said he opposed fracking.
Yurkevich advised on “CNN Newsroom” that voters in Western Pennsylvania, where she noted “fracking is king, are “looking for certainty” because they do not think they will survive without fracking.
“[V]oters we spoke to in Western Pennsylvania are still pretty confused on the former vice president’s position, whether it’s what Donald Trump is saying about Joe Biden or Joe Biden’s lack of clarity. Voters are looking for certainty right now,” Yurkevich said. “And this is critically important in Western Pennsylvania, where fracking is king. It’s helped to boost home prices, boost median incomes, and provided thousands of jobs. We traveled to Elysburg, Pennsylvania, and we spoke to voters there in this very small town, particularly business owners who say they will not survive if fracking does not exist.”
CNN then aired interviews with Pennsylvania business owners.
Emanuel Paris of Alec E. Paris Contracting Co. told CNN, “President Trump has a more clear perspective on keeping fracking going with minimal regulations, where Biden in the past and through the campaign has kind of gone back and forth in what he wants to do.”
“It’s almost like a domino effect,” Sharlo Tkalcevic, owner of T’s Locker Room Bar and Grille, stated. “And it could just be disastrous in my eyes, if, you know, first the pandemic and then fracking is banned.”
According to Yurkevich, Biden “has cleared up his stance” since the debate by saying he only wants to ban fracking on public lands.
“Now, Joe Biden has cleared up his stance since he made those comments at the debate,” Yurkevich said after the interviews. “He says he doesn’t want to ban fracking. He just wants to ban it on public lands. But I should note that in Western Pennsylvania, most of the fracking is actually done on private land. But you heard from that small restaurant owner there that she’s really dealing with a one-two punch.”
“She’s dealing with the pandemic which has forced some layoffs and fracking, but also in this uncertain future about the fracking industry as she’s hearing from these candidates, the majority of voters we spoke to say they will be supporting President Trump this time around because they do feel like his message is a little clearer and will be good for their livelihoods and their future,” she concluded.
(h/t Hot Air)
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