Biden approves controversial Alaska oil project

DREW ANGERER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES AT AFP
The project was approved by the Biden government this Monday, the 13th

The US government approved this Monday, the 13th, a controversial oil extraction project in Alaskain US. The initiative is from the oil company ConocoPhillips and is strongly opposed by environmental groups, according to information from the AFP agency. Called Willow, the project is located in an area known as the National Petroleum Reserve. Initially, the company had sought five drilling zones, but this was reduced to three. The announcement was made by the Ministry of Interior. ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance sees the decision as the right decision for Alaska for the country. However, Earthjustice president Abigail Dillen criticized the move. “We arrived at the climate crisis too late to pass massive oil and gas projects that directly affect the new clean economy that the administration Joe Biden vowed to promote,” he said. Biden vowed not to allow new oil and gas drilling on federal land when he gets to the White House. The initiative is valued at $8 billion by ConocoPhillips and will be one of the largest on American soil. In addition, the measure must supply up to 576 million barrels of oil over a 30-year period.

In an effort to calm tempers, the US government says it is working on additional protections in a large area of ​​the national reserve. It also announced that it intends to permanently halt drilling in a large area of ​​the Arctic Ocean near the reserve. “We know that President Biden understands the existential threat of climate, but he is passing a bill that derails his climate goals,” Dillen said. The US president acknowledged the risk to the environment, but promised to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 50% to 52% by 2030, a target set in the Paris Agreement. The bill’s sponsors and lawmakers predict the measure will create millions of jobs and play a key role in America’s energy independence. The expectation is that the maximum production of oil barrels per day will be 180 thousand. “The Willow Project is critically important to Alaska’s economy, good-paying jobs for our families, and the future prosperity of our state. This decision is also critical to our national security and the environment,” said Alaska Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. However, environmental associations are treating the project as a “disaster”. “Willow will be one of the largest oil and gas operations on federal public lands in the country. The carbon pollution it will release into the air will have devastating effects on our people, wildlife and climate. We will suffer the consequences for decades to come,” warned the environmental organization Sierra Club.

The project was approved by the former president Donald Trump, but a judge sent it back for further government review. The Bureau of Land Management released an environmental analysis of the material in early February. The body detailed an alternative that aims to reduce it to three drilling sites instead of five, with approximately 219 wells. The result of the analysis shows the production of 576 million barrels of oil in approximately 30 years and the emission of 9.2 million tons of CO2 per year.

*With information from AFP