HARRISBURG, Pa. — What will fuel a nation?
It’s a question at the center of the debate on energy this election season.
America’s power comes from a variety of sources and in recent years energy has come at a higher cost, hitting your wallet and the environment.
"Whoever is president has to deal with the fact that we are in this environmental crisis at the same time they have to deal with the issue that many Americans earn livings from the energy industry," said Dr. Alison Dagnes, chair of the political science department at Shippensburg University.
"The majority of Pennsylvanians believe that climate change is real, that it’s affecting their lives right now and so they’d like to see something done about it, but I think it’s such a complicated issue for many people," added Berwood Yost, director of the Franklin & Marshall College Center for Opinion Research.
Maybe the most talked about energy source during this election season happens to play a prominent role in the commonwealth.
"In Pennsylvania we’re in a rather unique position because fracking is so important in this state," Dagnes said.
Fracking has come under fire for it’s harmful impacts on the environment and on surrounding communities, but the presidential candidates know it’s also an economic driver.
The industry employs more than 10,000 Pennsylvanians.
"When we talk about something like fracking, it symbolically represents a discussion about the economy, it is symbolic of creating good manufacturing jobs and it also suggests that you value the communities where that is important," Yost said.
Republicans have criticized Vice President Harris on the issue of fracking.
Former President Trump made a claim of his opponent during an appearance in Harrisburg.
"The election will take place, if she won you’re not going to have any fracking in Pennsylvania," Trump said.
"Kamala Harris, when she was campaigning for office when she ran for president in 2019, came out saying she was against fracking," Dagnes explained. "The Biden administration has not done anything to oppose fracking and so she can hang her hat on that and say we’ve never done anything to oppose fracking."
Vice President Harris has not publicly opposed fracking during her campaign, but has highlighted policies to lower energy costs, while addressing pollution and climate change, touting the inflation reduction act’s climate investments.
"I'm proud that as vice president over the last four years we have invested $1 trillion in a clean energy economy while we have also increased domestic gas production to historic levels," Harris said during the presidential debate.
"She is very clear about what she will not do which is end entire industries where so many Americans are employed," Dagnes said of the vice president's approach to energy.
Former President Trump has referred to climate change as a hoax in the past.
He’s repeated his support for the use of fossil fuels at campaign stops across the country, promising to “restore American energy independence” if elected and lower prices.
"Former President Trump‘s campaign has not been as clear eyed about addressing the environmental issues," Dagnes said.
"Many people would want to see a reduction in greenhouse emissions, so that we can reduce the effects of climate change," Yost said. "I mean that’s clear in the polling that there’s a majority of people who support that, but you see the effect that economic concerns also have on an election."
Election day is Nov. 5.
Visit the FOX43 Election Guide to find out everything you need to know before casting your ballot.