President Biden has temporarily withdrawn permission for the controversial Willow project. He consistently emphasizes the importance of striking a balance between climate protection and ensuring energy supply.
President Joe Biden opposes oil extraction in large areas of Alaska. The US administration recently revoked drilling licenses for a nature reserve in the northern part of the state, which were granted at the beginning of 2021.
Furthermore, the Department of the Interior has proposed new regulations that prohibit oil and gas drilling in areas of the resource-rich National Petroleum Reserve. Biden argued on Wednesday evening that the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of the rest of the planet during the climate crisis, and therefore needs protection.
In March, the US government approved a controversial oil drilling project, namely the Willow project by the energy company ConocoPhillips, in Alaska. On state territory in the National Petroleum Reserve, there are plans to extract about 600 million barrels of oil over the next few decades. Environmental organizations expressed concerns about potential environmental and climate impacts.
The Biden administration indicated that the environmental impact assessments for the planned drilling projects in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge were not adequate during the tenure of his predecessor, Donald Trump. The White House seeks a balance between environmental and climate policies as well as strategies to increase energy security through domestic production.
