The President of the United States of America, Joe Biden, this Monday approved the extraction of controversial oil in the state of Alaska, which had proposed “Health”, in a decision that was strongly criticized by environmental groups.
The approval appears in a report published this Monday on the website of the Department of the Interior and in which the details of the project are offered, which will be led by the oil giant ConocoPhillips.
The project is located within the Alaska National Petroleum Reserve, on federal public land, and some 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, in what is considered one of the richest and least explored areas of biodiversity in the United States. .
For now, the Biden administration will only allow ConocoPhillips to begin drilling for oil in three locations. The company had asked to start the exercise of work on two other points, but the executive postponed its decision on this matter according to the report.
According to ConocoPhillips, the project could produce 180,000 barrels of oil per day at full capacity, will create 250,000 jobs during the construction phase and another 300 permanent jobs when it is operational.
In addition, the “Willow” project will create between $8 billion and $17 billion in revenue for the federal government, the state of Alaska and local government, ConocoPhillips says on its website.
Dozens of environmental groups, such as the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), criticized Biden’s decision on Monday as he made promises to dismantle greenhouse gas emissions and promote clean energy.
Several groups have also warned that they are considering various options, including asking the Biden administration in court to stop the project.
Environmental groups oppose the willow project, saying it will pollute Alaska’s water and air and affect the migratory patterns of animals.
In addition, it will release some 239 million tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere over the project’s 30-year lifespan, according to two dozen organizations, including the Alaska Wilderness League, in a joint statement.
Shortly after the Willow plan was announced, the White House approved limits on oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean and Alaska’s North Slope, in an apparent attempt to appease environmental groups.
But these restrictions only affect future projects and not those that have already been approved, the details were released in a memo on Monday in the White House.
Therefore, you will have no moment in the “Willow” project.
