Did Ron DeSantis Ban Fracking in Florida? What We Know

Among the many claims made at the second Republican presidential primary debate was that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had banned fracking in his home state when he first came to office in 2018.

"Energy security is national security," former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley told the audience in the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, on Wednesday. "What you don't need is a president who is against energy independence. Ron DeSantis is against fracking, he's against drilling."

Amid cries of "that is not true" from the accused hopeful, the former Trump administration envoy claimed: "You did it," adding: "Day two in Florida you banned fracking, you banned offshore drilling, you did it on federal lands."

While DeSantis pledged in his 2018 gubernatorial campaign to ban offshore fracking and drilling in Florida, and directed the state's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to seek an end to all fracking, it was voters who outlawed the practice—something he attempted to intimate during the debate. As a GOP presidential candidate, he has come out in favor of fracking and drilling.