Thank you. I guessed as much, but was not sure. Did not know what it was referencing, but now I do! (Honestly, I thought is was playing off all the “stans” in central Asia!)
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I assumed it had something to do with tin.
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I have always been confused by that word myself, but when I heard it in context, I thought to myself: like the song?
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She has a strange take on presidential candidates, too!
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Yes, just the team America needs to clear up Trump’s mess.
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He’s being politically cagey. His facebook ads in June said he was going to eliminate fracking, which is a political mess in Pennsylvania. So now he’s backtracking a bit, though still committing to actively eliminating it on federal land. Meanwhile, he has appointed AOC to co-chair his Climate Change Policy Group, which is probably a more important move in practice than any campaign rhetoric.
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How is “fracking is not on the chopping block” even remotely cagey? That’s a plain statement completely absent of couched political caution.
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Because it is not the only thing he has said on the subject, eg “no fracking” last March. Context matters.
His current statement was an answer to the question, “We’re losing a lot of jobs overseas, losing jobs to COVID-19, and if fracking is on the chopping block, how are you going to help these displaced workers?” and so could well be interpreted as a statement that fracking jobs won’t be on the chopping block.
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“I think the compromise that they came up with, if implemented, will make Biden the most progressive president since FDR,” Sanders, a democratic socialist who does not offer such assessments lightly, told MSNBC.
The article also addresses the fracking thing:
The former vice president has relied on his political instincts amid a rapidly shifting climate and has made himself a slippery target for Trump and his allies, often finding a middle path on volatile issues.[…] Biden has also walked a fine line on fracking, a process used to access underground natural gas and oil that environmentalists broadly oppose. Liberal Democrats have pushed for an outright ban on fracking, while centrists have warned of potential job losses in states such as Ohio and Pennsylvania.
(Personally, I think we’ll see a ban. The economic benefits are illusory, especially with the current oil glut, while the environmental costs, from earthquakes to flammable tapwater, are pretty compelling.)
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I work in the industry. We won’t see a ban. What we’ll see is continued diversification by the largest energy companies, as they sweet-talk the smaller companies into buying them out of their various oil & gas (but especially gas) holdings. Too late for most, the smaller companies will realize that they cannot justify the cost of fracking so their acquisitions are at best worthless and at worst an actual drain on finances.
The reason fracking became a thing is because the cost of doing it (it’s more expensive than vertical wells) became competitive due to surging gas prices. Once it costs too much, it’ll stop. Not because they care about the environment, but because they care about the bottom line.
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If there are structural reasons precluding a ban then Biden can’t be faulted for the answer he gave.
Looks like you nailed it, except for the consequences that are even worse thanks to abandoned wells affecting the environment after the owners walk away. I hope Uncle Joe at least has a plan to address that, even if he’s too scared to take a firm stand against fracking.
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Much like the Alberta oil sands.
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Exactly.
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They should be afraid of long term liability, but again, that would require governmental help, things like regulations and a regulatory body to enforce them. Hah.
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Even the Sanders bill (this January) to ban fracking only institutes a freeze on new fracking projects, institutes a consultation exercise to lead to a gradual phase out, with the aim of a ban only coming into force in 2025 (i.e. after Biden’s 4 years are up). What Biden said is consistent with Sanders on the issue.
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Charlie Pierce agrees with your “hah”.
If only one of the duopoly party establishments was willing to call out this business model and ban it.
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Trump’s not being audited- Rudolph is his defense attorney so he knows. Time to release your returns Donnie.
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