Biden Arctic National Wildlife Refuge leases:
- Who: The Biden administration canceled the final seven oil and gas leases located in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
- Why: The White House says the decision is an effort to protect the region and it will “continue to take bold action to meet the urgency of the climate crisis.”
- Where: The cancellations affect the final seven oil and gas leases located in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The Biden administration canceled the final seven oil and gas leases located in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge earlier this month while simultaneously proposing stronger protections against development on much of the state’s Natural Petroleum Reserve.
The decision, which the Department of Interior coordinated, comes after the Biden administration approved what is known as the Willow oil project earlier this year, the Associated Press reports.
Oil & natural gas company ConocoPhillips Alaska is in charge of the Willow oil project, with the AP reporting it is believed the project could generate as much as 180,000 barrels of oil per day on Alaska’s North Slope.
Critics of the Willow oil project, who reportedly argue Biden’s support of the project is contradictory to his promises to address climate change, praised the decision to cancel the remaining oil and gas leases but say there is more to be done, the AP reports.
Proposed protections for Alaska’s Natural Petroleum Reserve still must go through public comment
Biden released a statement last week explaining the decision to cancel the leases and vowing his administration will “continue to take bold action to meet the urgency of the climate crisis.”
“As the climate crisis warms the Arctic more than twice as fast as the rest of the world, we have a responsibility to protect this treasured region for all ages,” the White House says.
The Biden administration’s proposed protections to oppose new leasing and development in portions of Alaska’s Natural Petroleum Reserve must still go through public comment, the AP reports.
The proposed protections will reportedly be for parts of the Natural Petroleum Reserve that have been designated as special areas due to their wildlife, subsistence, scenery or other values.
While the area for the Willow oil project, which has ongoing litigation over its approval, lies within the areas the proposed protections cover, it is not expected to be affected by the rules, the AP reports.
In other news involving oil and gas, last month, the 4th Circuit dismissed a challenge to the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a planned 300-mile pipeline through Virginia and West Virginia.
What do you think of the Biden administration’s decision to cancel the remaining oil and gas leases in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge? Let us know in the comments.
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