Biden administration recommends oil drilling in Alaska

Associated Press ^ | February 1, 2023 | Becky Bohrer

[Olog-hai]

The Biden administration issued a long-awaited study Wednesday that recommends allowing a major oil development on Alaska’s North Slope, and the move — while not final — drew immediate anger from environmentalists who saw it as a betrayal of the president’s pledges to reduce carbon emissions and promote clean energy sources.

ConocoPhillips Alaska had proposed five drilling sites, and the alternative proposed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management calls for up to three drill sites initially. Even as the land agency released its report, the U.S. Interior Department said in its own press release that it has “substantial concerns” about the Willow project.

The Bureau of Land Management, which falls under Interior, in the report also said that identifying a preferred alternative “does not constitute a commitment or decision” and notes it could select a different alternative in the final decision.

Opponents have raised concerns about the impacts of development on wildlife, such as birds and caribou, and efforts to address climate change. …

[rktman]

Fossil fuels for THE special folks. Common folks, not so much.

[hinckley buzzard]

Keystone XL was not close to being finished, and anyway, it’s dead. fuggeddaboudit.

[Albion Wilde]

Wouldn’t build a nice secure pipeline from established oilfields that was already in the works; oh, no.

In desperation approves the much more difficult terrain for new wells, a much messier operation with greater risks to the environment. Because Democrats live in the moment.

It was much more important to stamp his widdle feet at Trump’s enthusiastic support of the Keystone pipeline.

Now, with failure all around him stinking on ice, he attempts a Hail Mary pass. It’s not going to work out well enough or soon enough; but failure will somehow be blamed on Trump.

[Vaduz]

It’s the in thing now not much choice.