Environmentalists are furious that the Biden Administration approved drilling in Alaska called the Willow Project. Recall that the President said that NO new drilling would be approved if he were elected while he was campaigning but that was… locker-room talk.
The U.S. Department of the Interior framed this as a reduction in the scope of the project. As in, “Yes, we approved it but we approved 40% less of it!” The drill sites will be leased to ConocoPhillips but two of the five drill sites were denied.
But many in Alaska are for this project for the economic boom it can bring to the region. The Alaska Native village corporation and Alaska Democratic Representative Mary Peltola are all in favor of the project.
In response to criticism of the new leases, the Biden Administration says that it will indefinitely place off limits to future oil and gas leases in the Arctic. Just this one and no more, they say. Pinky promise!
