Haley, DeSantis get into back-and-forth over fracking

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley sparred over DeSantis’s energy policies, including on fracking, during Wednesday night’s Republican debate.

“What you don’t need is a president who is against energy independence. Ron DeSantis is against fracking. He’s against drilling,” Haley said. 

“Day two in Florida, you banned fracking. You banned offshore drilling,” she added. 

DeSantis called Haley’s comments “not true.”

He pointed to his recently unveiled energy plan that calls for unleashing “oil and gas exploration and development … on Day One.”

In response to Haley’s remarks about his policies in Florida, DeSantis said, “In the state of Florida our voters enacted a constitutional amendment—”

“You banned it before they voted … and not only that … they didn’t vote on fracking,” Haley interjected.

DeSantis said they do produce oil in Florida and called his rival’s comments “just wrong.”

In 2018, Florida voters approved a ballot measure that banned offshore drilling.

Florida is otherwise a minor producer of oil. The state’s crude oil production in 2021 was less than 1.5 million barrels, according the federal Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The EIA states that Florida accounts for less than 0.1 percent of the country’s crude oil production.

In his gubernatorial election campaign, DeSantis said he would urge the Florida Legislature to ban fracking in the state. 

Fracking, also known as hydraulic fracturing, is a method of extracting oil and gas. It is controversial because of concerns related to drinking water contamination.