Politics and Fracking: A Case Study of Pennsylvania Elections

Abstract

Over the past four years, hydraulic fracturing—or ‘fracking’, the combining of fracturing rock and horizontal drilling to extract oil and natural gas from shale deposits—has evolved into one of the most high-profile political issues in Pennsylvania, the second-highest producer of natural gas in the country. Although fracking began booming in the state around 2008, increased awareness of climate change and the need for urgent climate policy initiatives have facilitated fracking’s rise in politicians’ campaign agendas in recent years. Meanwhile, narratives highlighting fracking’s economic benefits to struggling rural portions of Pennsylvania—and the need for domestic drilling amid geopolitical tensions in Ukraine and the Middle East—have gripped recent political discourse. Consequently, fracking has evolved into a wedge issue between voters who view fracking as a boon for Pennsylvania’s economic development and national security and those who view the practice as environmentally destructive and feeding the country’s dependence on fossil fuels. With Pennsylvania’s growing importance in shaping the national political landscape, the goal of this summative piece is to explore fracking’s political and electoral role in Pennsylvania during the 2020 presidential election, 2022 senatorial election, and 2024 presidential election, when fracking served as a key issue during some of the most controversial and consequential elections in recent history.