Pennsylvania Fracking, Pipelines Discussed In Democratic Debate

PENNSYLVANIA — An issue close to home for many in Chester and Delaware counties and across Pennsylvania was touched upon on the national stage at the Democratic debate Wednesday evening.

Moderators brought up fracking, with Chuck Todd specifically noting that it has created jobs in the "battleground state of Pennsylvania." He then asked the race's frontrunner, Sen. Bernie Sanders, how Sanders planned to win over pipeline workers.

The question was targeted at Sanders because he has proposed banning fracking at the federal level, with a recently introduced bill in U.S. Congress eliminating the practice by 2025. Fracking is already banned in several states, including neighboring New York.

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It's raised concerns from conservatives and some in the more centrist wing of the Democratic Party that important jobs will be lost. Sanders pointed to a jobs proposal that would replace those jobs with additional employment in an expanded green sector.

"The Green New Deal, that I support, will create up to 20 million good paying jobs, as we move our energy system away from fossil fuel to energy efficiency and sustainable energy," he said. "This is a moral issue. We have to take the responsibility of making sure the planet we leave our children and grandchildren is healthy and habitable. That is more important than the profits of the fossil fuel industry."

Conservatives and even some Democratic critics say this position makes it impossible for Sanders to win Pennsylvania in the general election over President Trump, who won the state in 2016 on platform that spoke to working people. Progressives note that many fracking jobs are temporary, and that the industry is losing hundreds of jobs anyway due to lack of demand for oil, as a recent report in the Pittsburgh City Paper indicates.

Banning fracking is a policy position that enjoys a plurality of support — notable but not overwhelming — among Pennsylvanians, according to the most recent polls, including a Feb. 1 Franklin and Marshall poll. That poll found that 48 percent strongly or somewhat favor a ban, while 39 strongly or somewhat oppose a ban.

Fracking and actual drilling for natural gas is done far from the millions of voters in southeastern Pennsylvania, as most Marcellus Shale wells are bunched in counties in the western and north-central parts of the state. However, fracking plays a huge role in how much natural gas is being funneled out of those wells and through pipelines that run across Chester and Delaware counties on its way to refineries in Marcus Hook.

In southeastern Pennsylvania, the focus has largely remained on improving the state's regulation process when it comes to building those pipelines, holding major natural gas companies responsible for safety violations, and preventing spills, groundwater contamination, and explosion hazards in densely populated suburban areas.

The decision to ban or not ban fracking at the federal level, then, is of direct relevance to the communities that have been engaged in a variety of battles with Sunoco over the Mariner East pipelines for many years now. While many vocal opponents of Sunoco's practices are not necessarily supportive of banning fracking — and important distinction to make — they would nonetheless be impacted by the decision. Should President Trump win re-election, or should a more centrist Democrat win the nomination, its likely to have little impact one way or the other on current policy.

For nearly a year now, polls have shown former Vice President Joe Biden holding a strong lead over President Trump in Pennsylvania, with the most recent average of polls giving him a 7 point lead, according to RealClearPolitics.

However, Biden has fallen behind new Democratic front runner Sen. Bernie Sanders in national primary polling. Sanders also leads Trump in the Keystone State by 3.7 points, according to the same polls.

Pennsylvania's Democratic primary is set for April 28.