evidence: Fact-checking J.D. Vance on Tim Ryan’s record on fracking If Your Time is short • Ryan, as a 2020 presidential candidate, spoke about regulating fracking and even halting it if the industry cannot keep local residents safe. He said he’d "absolutely" consider banning fracking on federal lands and voted to stop the processing of fracking applications for drilling sites off California’s coast. [...] Ryan said during a 2019 event that he would "absolutely" consider banning fracking on federal lands. He also voted to stop the processing of fracking applications for drilling sites off the California coast in environmentally sensitive water. Ryan told The Washington Post that if the fracking industry cannot keep local residents safe, the federal government might need to "halt" fracking operations.