What the Frack? Why Waste Political Capital on a Pyrrhic Victory?

If Democrats take control of the government in 2021, a big question is how much the party should partner with Republicans and the private sector to put a climate plan in place.

— A. Aton

These days American politics are a little like Russian nesting dolls — there are stories, within stories, within stories. With just 22 days, 07 hours, and 30 minutes left until the November elections and Biden’s rising poll numbers, I’ve begun thinking in earnest about the chances of getting his $2 trillion[i] climate plan — or a reasonable facsimile — through Congress and back on the presidential desk for his signature.

How Biden and progressive climate activists deal with fracking in the coming months could largely determine the possibility of putting the nation squarely on the path to long-term sustainability. I fear that too great a focus on fracking bans outside of federal lands — which is the current Biden position — could cancel the possibility of putting in place the government policies needed to decarbonize the economy in a timely fashion.

As I will explain in a moment, the way forward need not force a binary vote on fracking. How is this possible? By doing what governments have always done best — kicking the can down the road — at least on this one issue. It may…