Anti-fracking = pro-Russia

Fracking in the United States has led this country to energy independence. America becoming a net exporter of energy (in particular oil and natural gas) is disruptive to the global markets in oil and natural gas. American energy independence results in the reduction of the economic power and leverage over other countries heavily involved in oil and natural gas exporting. One of the countries most reliant on fossil fuel exports to finance its economy is Russia. American energy independence is bad for Russian economic and political leverage through the energy markets.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In the United States, substantial political forces have aligned against the fracking industry. Led by the Sierra Club and other environmental NGOs, anti-fracking forces have demonstrated, lobbied, and harassed the fossil fuel industry. This pro-Russian stance has permeated the left and the Democratic Party. There are persistent rumors – unconfirmed – that Russians are contributing financially to the Sierra Club's and others' anti-fracking campaign.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton was opposed to the Keystone pipeline, coal-mining, and fracking. Intentionally or not, these stands were and are all objectively pro-Russian stands. On the other hand, Trump was consistently in favor expanding the American energy industry through additional pipelines and export facilities as well as fracking. Trump's stands on these issues were motivated by being pro-America but also had the impact of being anti-Russia. If Russians were funding anti-fracking efforts in the U.S., these funds had the impact of promoting Clinton's campaign to the detriment of Trump. Any Russian contributions to the Sierra Club or other anti-fracking efforts would have amounted to foreign meddling in the 2016 election campaign in favor of Clinton.