The Biden administration formally approved Willow [pictured right], an $8 billion oil drilling project located in Alaska, Monday morning over the objection of climate activists who lobbied heavily against it.
The massive project, operated by American energy firm ConocoPhillips, is projected to produce roughly 600 million barrels of oil over a 30-year lifespan, The New York Times reported. [emphasis, links added]
In a bid to placate environmentalists, the administration had considered limiting the project to just two drill sites, down from the five that ConocoPhillips initially proposed, but the company and Alaskan lawmakers warned that the project would need at least three to be economically viable, according to CNN.
“The President and the Biden-Harris administration continue to deliver on the most aggressive climate agenda in American history, including the creation of clean energy manufacturing and jobs,” the Department of the Interior (DOI) said in a press release accompanying the decision.
“He has secured record investments in climate resilience and environmental justice. And his economic agenda has put the United States back on track to reach its climate goals for 2030 and 2050 all while reducing America’s reliance on oil.”
The administration also took steps to limit future oil and gas drilling in the Natural Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, where Willow is located, by designating more than 13 million of the 23 million acre reserve as “Special Areas,” the DOI said in its press release.
With the administration having few options to limit Willow directly, these designations are intended to create a “firewall” to prevent future oil and gas drilling in the region, one administration official told Bloomberg. …snip…
The project is expected to face legal challenges from environmental groups, according to CNN.
Alaskan lawmakers have come out universally in favor of the project, which the company forecasts will produce between $8 billion to $17 billion in revenue for the government and local communities.
ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance praised the decision as the “right decision for Alaska and our nation,” and argued that the project fits within the administration’s environmental objectives, in a press release.
Read full post at Daily Caller
I guess the Eco-Freaks thought Biden was going to ban all Fossil Fuels and make us depend upon Wind and Solar Proves their suckers for any kind of scam