Encyclopedia of Opinion
Question
Will Joe Biden ban fracking?
Position2 of 2
No, Joe Biden will not ban fracking
Argument2 of 2

Biden won't ban fracking - it would harm the economy and reduce job numbers

Despite a few campaign blunders, Biden will not ban fracking, as clarified on numerous occasions. The natural gas and oil industry are key to the US economy and the renewable energy industry does not offer a fraction of the jobs -- statistics prove.

The argument

Biden will not ban fracking because numbers show that it would kill the US job market. Renewable energy is not cost-effective, nor will it account for the missing oil jobs for American workers. Additionally, Joe Biden knows that risking oil and gas could tank the US economy.

Context

The Biden administration may restrict natural gas and oil development according to their website, but both Biden and Harris have assured Americans that a ban will not be implemented. The economic ramifications would be too great, and there aren't enough other energy sources.

Premises

[P1]A fracking ban would kill US oil and gas jobs, and renewable energy is neither cost-effective enough nor able to replace those jobs. [P2] Because banning fracking risks tanking the US economy, Biden knows better than to attempt it. [C] Therefore, Joe Biden will not ban fracking.

Counter-arguments

Renewable energy is a thriving industry and as innovations continue, more jobs will need filled.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P1] The premise opens with "numbers show" and then gives none, and it treats renewable energy as a fixed technology rather than a growing sector; the counter's point that an expanding industry generates employment of its own is left unanswered. [Rejecting P2] Predicting what a politician "knows better than to attempt" is a claim about motive, not evidence about policy — and the same reasoning would be equally consistent with a partial restriction rather than a ban, which is a different proposition from the one the position asserts.