The Biden administration delivered another hit to domestic oil-and-gas production amid soaring energy prices by reversing the Trump-era move to open up millions of acres to drilling in Alaska, drawing rebukes Tuesday from outraged Republicans.
The Bureau of Land Management announced Monday that it would shelve the Trump administration’s 2020 plan to expand leasing on the 23-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), a move that would close off development on about seven million acres by reverting to the 2013 management plan.
“This decision reflects the Biden-Harris administration’s priority of reviewing existing oil and gas programs to ensure balance on America’s public lands and waters to benefit current and future generations,” said the agency in a statement.
Decrying the decision was the Alaska congressional delegation, which accused President Biden and his team of threatening the state’s economy with anti-development policies and working against U.S. energy independence.
“For years, the NPR-A has been crucial to providing affordable energy to families across our country,” said Rep. Don Young, Alaska Republican.
“This move by the Biden Administration is not only insulting to the hardworking men and women on the North Slope but also extremely foolish. Gas prices around the nation are soaring; why then would President Biden and the BLM want to kneecap our domestic production, thereby emboldening our oil-producing adversaries overseas?”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Alaska Republican, said there had been “zero analysis or consultation” with state lawmakers before the decision, which was confirmed in a Monday filing in the U.S. District Court for Alaska.
The Biden administration has decided to upend the NPR-A’s current management plan to return to an outdated policy that is worse for our state’s economy, worse for our nation’s energy security, and contrary to federal law. https://t.co/YPEpOamcA0
— Sen. Lisa Murkowski (@lisamurkowski) January 11, 2022
She pointed out that the area is a petroleum reserve “specifically designated for energy development, located within a state that already has tens of millions of acres of parks, refuges, and federal wilderness.”
“The current management plan was carefully crafted to protect the reserve’s most sensitive areas and includes numerous safeguards for responsible development,” Ms. Murkowski said. “Sweeping restrictions like this – which are being imposed even as the Biden administration implores OPEC+ to produce more oil – demonstrate everything that is wrong with its energy policies.”
In June, the Biden administration suspended oil leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, prompting a lawsuit in November from the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, which called the moratorium illegal.
Congress approved ANWR leasing in 2017.
“No state in the country has been singled out like Alaska with such a destructive war on our working families, which hits our Alaska Native communities particularly hard,” said Sen. Dan Sullivan, Alaska Republican, adding that the Biden administration has taken 21 executive actions targeting the state’s economic development.
Read rest at Washington Times
Alaska is the State who has shown up the Democrats they once made lard ice bust of Gore parked a truck in the base and rigged it she all the Exuast fumes came out of the mouth and when Slick Willy cut off their Timber to appease the Eco-Freaks then asked the State to provide a White House Christmas Tree they rejected Clinton’s request and now they can tell Biden to Take a Hike
How many people voted for Biden to be president? What ever that number, many of them will be directly affected by changes like this because it means that gasoline, propane and diesel won’t be coming from this area, so it will have to be found and come from some where else. It seems to me that this administration is trying to destroy America’s ability to supply energy to its own people. If not, what are they trying to do? This is senseless!!!!