Vice President Kamala Harris has made antagonizing the fossil fuel industry a central part of her political career, suing to block fracking off the coast of California, scoring tens of millions of dollars in settlements with oil majors and halting oil sands shipments to a refinery.
Now, as the Democrats’ likely presidential candidate, she’ll need to decide how hard to hit the industry that’s blamed for driving climate change — and which has turned the U.S. into the world’s leading oil and gas producer.
Greens are urging Harris to lean into her criticism of the sector for fighting efforts to reduce the greenhouse gases that are warming the planet. But energy experts and people in the oil and gas sector say pillorying them could pose a significant political risk that may force her into a more moderate stance.
Democrats have turned up the pressure on the industry, seeking to counter Republican attacks that contend President Joe Biden’s policies have boosted prices at the pump. It’s the oil sector, they say, that is reaping billions in profits from the higher fuel costs, while the planet swelters under record temperatures.
