With less than two weeks until Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign committed what critics called an unforced error on fracking.

In a recent interview with Politico, the Harris campaign’s new director of climate engagement, Camila Thorndike, said voters concerned about climate change should not fear a Harris presidency.

“(Harris) is not promoting the expansion (of fossil fuel drilling). She just said they’re not going to ban fracking,” Thorndike said.

This seemed to take Harris back to her original and long-standing position of opposing the extensive use of fossil fuels. Harris has promised to ban fracking during her 2020 run for the White House. Harris reversed course once she became the Democratic nominee for president, telling CNN in August, “I’m not going to ban fracking.”

After Thorndike’s comments caught the attention of the Trump campaign, Thorndike posted an updated statement on social media saying Harris “does not support a ban on fracking.” She echoed Harris’ comment from last month’s presidential debate that her tie-breaking vote on the Inflation Relief Act “opened up new fracking leases.”

Energy groups said Thorndike’s comment showed Harris could not be trusted.

“Wait! Change of plan earlier this morning,” the US Oil & Gas Association posted on social media. “This afternoon Harris is now supporting fracking, which is a reversal from this morning where they opposed fracking. … Which was a change from their position in July where they supported fracking. … Which was a change from their position in June where they … opposed fracking. Did I understand? I understand.”

The reaction was negative in Pennsylvania, where fracking is a significant part of the state’s energy industry.

“The whole Harris campaign is a scam,” scoffed Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association President and CEO David N. Taylor.

American Petroleum Institute executive vice president Amanda Eversole said Harris’ statement on fracking means nothing.

“You can say ‘I support fracking’ and still not offer new lease sales, either onshore, in federal waters or on federal lands, which is 25 percent of production,” she said.

The White House approved three offshore oil and gas lease sales through 2029. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said the sales were for the department to begin supporting the offshore wind industry.

No offshore oil and gas leases have been approved this year. The White House previously canceled all leases granted by the Trump administration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

President Biden announced a “temporary pause” on new LNG exports and export terminals in January. He cited climate change as the reason. A study by the National Association of Manufacturers said the LNG outage threatened 900,000 jobs. A federal judge overturned the stay months later.

“(A Harris administration) is going to be just like the Biden administration, which is very, very anti-oil and gas and very combative against the industry,” said energy consultant Trisha Curtis of PetroNerds.

Despite the administrative headaches, the energy industry made the United States the world’s largest crude oil producer last year, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Russia ranked second, followed by Saudi Arabia.

The United States was also the world leader in natural gas production, primarily due to Europe pivoting to Russian natural gas due to the war in Ukraine.

However, Taylor said any oil and gas industry gains during the Biden-Harris administration were “in spite of the administration’s actions, not because of them.”

Energy groups see natural gas as key to future economic growth. An analysis by the Marcellus Shale Coalition found the industry generated $40 billion in economic activity and supported more than 123,000 jobs in 2022 in Pennsylvania. These jobs paid an average of $97,482 annually.

Donald Trump has been consistently promoting his position on oil and gas during rallies in Pennsylvania as he seeks the state’s 19 Electoral College votes.

“On day one, I’m going to tell the energy workers in Pennsylvania to frack, frack, frack and drill, drill, drill, baby, drill,” he said at a recent rally in Scranton. This message may work.

Polls show Trump leading Harris in Pennsylvania by about a point, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average.

Curtis says the Harris campaign is having an identity crisis as it tries to explain past positions. “(Harris became) basically a centrist Republican overnight. … It is not authentic and it is not true.”

Taylor Millard writes about politics and public policy for InsideSources.com.