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A2 UP FRONT
Tuesday 14 March 2023
Biden OKs Alaska oil project, draws ire of environmentalists

Continued from Front

The order, one of the most
significant of Interior Secre-
tary Deb Haaland’s tenure,
was not signed by her but
rather by her deputy, Tom-
my Beaudreau, who grew
up in Alaska and briefed
state lawmakers on the
project Monday. Haaland
was notably silent on the
project, which she had op-
posed as a New Mexico
congresswoman before
becoming Interior secre-
tary two years ago.
Climate activists were out-
raged that Biden approved
the project, which they say
puts his climate legacy at
risk. Allowing the drilling
plan to go forward marks
a major breach of Biden’s
campaign promise to stop
new oil drilling on federal
lands, they say.
However, administration of-
ficials were concerned that President Joe Biden waves before boarding Air Force One for a trip to San Diego to meet with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and
ConocoPhillips’ decades- Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Monday, March 13, 2023, in Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
old leases limited the gov- Associated Press
ernment’s legal ability to and for our friends and al- project. feel their voices were not opposition, worried about
block the project and that lies,” Murkowski said. “The John Leshy, who was a top heard,’’ Goldfuss said. impacts to caribou and her
courts might have ruled in administration listened to Interior Department lawyer Anticipating that reac- residents’ subsistence life-
the company’s favor. Alaska voices. They listened in the Clinton administra- tion among environmental styles. “My constituents and
Monday’s announcement to the delegation as we tion, said Biden’s climate groups, the White House community will bear the
is not likely to be the last pressed the case for en- goals aren’t the only factor announced on Sunday burden of this project with
word, with litigation ex- ergy security and national in an environmental review that Biden will prevent or our health and our liveli-
pected from environmen- security.” process that agencies must limit oil drilling in 16 million hoods,’’ she said.
tal groups. Fellow Republican Sen. follow. acres in Alaska and the But there is “majority con-
The Willow project could Dan Sullivan said condi- Leshy, a professor at the Arctic Ocean. The plan sensus” in the North Slope
produce up to 180,000 bar- tions attached to the proj- University of California Col- would bar drilling in nearly region supporting the proj-
rels of oil a day, create up ect should not reduce Wil- lege of the Law, San Fran- 3 million acres of the Beau- ect, said Nagruk Harcha-
to 2,500 jobs during con- low’s ability to produce up cisco, called the decision fort Sea — closing it off from rek, president of the group
struction and 300 long-term to 180,000 barrels of crude on Willow defensible, add- oil exploration — and limit Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat,
jobs, and generate billions a day. But he said it was ing: “I think it reflects a bal- drilling in more than 13 mil- whose members include
of dollars in royalties and “infuriating” that Biden also ancing of the things they lion acres in the National leaders from across much
tax revenues for the feder- had moved to prevent or have to balance, which is Petroleum Reserve. of that region.
al, state and local govern- limit oil drilling elsewhere in the environmental impact The withdrawal of the off- The conservation actions
ments, the company said. Alaska. and the lease rights that shore area ensures that im- announced Sunday block
The project, located in the Environmental activists who Conoco has.’’ portant habitat for whales, drilling in the Beaufort Sea
federally designated Na- have promoted a #Stop- Christy Goldfuss, a former seals, polar bears and other and build on President
tional Petroleum Reserve- Willow campaign on so- Obama White House of- wildlife “will be protected in Barack Obama’s actions to
Alaska, enjoys widespread cial media were fuming at ficial who now is a policy perpetuity from extractive restrict drilling there and in
political support in the the approval, which they chief at the Natural Re- development,” the White the Chukchi Sea.
state. Alaska’s bipartisan called a betrayal. sources Defense Council, House said in a statement. Separately, the adminis-
congressional delega- “This decision greenlights said she was “deeply dis- The conservation an- tration moved to protect
tion met with Biden and 92% of proposed oil drill- appointed’’ at Biden’s de- nouncement did little to more than 13 million acres
his advisers in early March ing (by ConocoPhllips) and cision to approve Willow, mollify activists. within the petroleum re-
to plead their case for the hands over one the most which the BLM estimates “It’s a performative action serve, a 23-million acre
project, and Alaska Native fragile, intact ecosystems in would produce more than to make the Willow project chunk of land on Alaska’s
state lawmakers recently the world to” the oil giant, 239 million metric tons of not look as bad,” said Elise North Slope set aside a
met with Haaland to urge said Earthjustice President greenhouse gases over Joshi, the acting execu- century ago for future oil
support. Abigail Dillen. “This is not cli- the project’s 30-year life, tive director of Gen-Z for production. Areas to be
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alas- mate leadership.’’ roughly equal to the com- Change, an advocacy or- protected include the Tes-
ka, said Monday the deci- Biden understands the ex- bined emissions from 1.7 ganization. hekpuk Lake, Utukok Up-
sion was “very good news istential threat of climate million passenger cars. City of Nuiqsut Mayor lands, Colville River, Kas-
for the country.” change, “but he is approv- “This decision is bad for the Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, egaluk Lagoon and Peard
“Not only will this mean jobs ing a project that derails his climate, bad for the envi- whose community of about Bay Special Areas, which
and revenue for Alaska, it own climate goals,’’ said ronment and bad for the 525 people is closest to the serve as habitat for grizzly
will be resources that are Dillen, whose group vowed Native Alaska communi- proposed development, and polar bears, caribou
needed for the country legal action to block the ties who oppose this and has been outspoken in her and migratory birds.q