Biden’s Clean Grid Would Choke Gas, Even Without Fracking Ban
- His clean-energy plan has little room for the fossil fuel
- ‘Transition is going to happen more quickly’ than expected
Joe Biden at a town hall event in Philadelphia on Oct. 15.
Photographer: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
During a town hall meeting Thursday, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden again assured shale producers that he wouldn’t ban fracking if elected. Then, in virtually the same breath, he touted his $2 trillion clean-energy plan, which aims to edge natural gas out of the power mix within 15 years.
The former vice president’s efforts to walk a tightrope on gas reflect the fossil fuel’s precarious place in the economy. For now, it’s an essential part of American life. Biden has been careful not to make an enemy of the industry, especially in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania, home to the largest U.S. shale-gas field. His policies may even, in the short-term, support the gas market.