TEXAS — If the latest polls are to be believed, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has quickly made up ground in Texas despite doing little in the way of campaigning in the state.
A new Morning Consult poll of 3,347 likely Texas voters shows Biden leading President Donald Trump in the Lone Star State 48 to 47.
Another poll, released just prior by Quinnipiac University, shows the two candidates in a dead heat in Texas.
However, Biden’s comments concerning oil during Thursday night’s debate in Nashville have raised speculation that he may have damaged his chances in Texas a bit.
Biden said that he would “transition” away from one of Texas’ chief industries.
“I would transition away from the oil industry, yes,” Biden said in the presidential debate’s closing minutes under peppering from Trump. “The oil industry pollutes, significantly. It has to be replaced by renewable energy over time.”
Biden’s plan calls for the U.S. to have net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. He additionally has pledged to end federal subsidies for the gas and oil industry. He has not, however, called for a ban on climate-changing fossil fuels.
Trump was quick to pounce on Biden’s statements.
“Basically what he is saying is he is going to destroy the oil industry,” Trump said. “Will you remember that Texas? Pennsylvania? Oklahoma? Ohio?”
Polls suggest roughly three in four Americans are concerned about global warming.
Biden has stated the country has a moral obligation to tackle climate change. Trump has questioned the science behind it.
Any way you slice it up, the oil and gas industry fuels a great deal of Texas’ economy. Spectrum News recently spoke with Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil and Gas Association. He said the industry is vital to Texas and will remain so.
“Texans understand and know and support the critical role that natural gas and oil plays in driving economic recovery, and keeping energy costs low and protecting national security. And we can allow our marketplace to choose these energy sources,” Staples sad.
Staples said he supports renewable energy and that the oil and gas industry is, in fact, at the forefront of its development.
“No one is investing more in clean tech than the United States, all in the natural gas industry. This industry is pioneering technologies and innovating new ways in order to meet the world's energy needs, all while advancing continued climate progress,” he said.
Still, scientists say that combating climate change would require sharp cuts to oil, gas, and coal emissions. That, in turn, would require eliminating most burning of fossil fuels.
Trump has stated that Biden would ban fracking, a process of oil and natural gas extraction, in the U.S., but Biden says he would only ban new oil and gas permits on federal land. Most fracking takes place on private land in the U.S.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.