Department of the Interior issues preliminary permit for oil drilling in Alaska

The Biden administration appears ready to approve a major oil drilling operation on the North Slope of Alaska, where untapped federal oil reserves are being explored as a potential future energy source for the country. File photo courtesy of BP

Feb. 2 (UPI) — The Biden administration appears poised to approve a major oil drilling operation on Alaska’s North Slope, which is exploring untapped federal oil reserves as a potential future energy source for the country.

The proposed willow development project, which is located on land leased for decades by ConocoPhillips, required the government to first environmental impact studythe results of which were released on Wednesday US Bureau of Land Management.

Despite significant concerns, The government has indicated tentative approval for the project to move forward, but has set stringent conditions that include newly established wildlife protection in the region and reducing the overall size of the project from five wellheads to three.

The move is likely to spark legal action from environmentalists and local communities in the region.

The Home Office, which stressed that a final decision had not yet been made, said it would offer a “preferred alternative” as required by the National Environmental Policy Act, but that it “does not constitute a commitment” to the approved project.

“Another alternative may be selected in this decision, including no action or the postponement of additional drilling sites beyond the single delay described in the preferred alternative,” the Department of the Interior said. said in a statement.

The government has said it plans to make a final decision on the Willow project by next month, but environmental groups have already been outraged by the apparent reversal of President Joe Biden, who has constantly vowed to protect the environment, reduce carbon emissions and promote clean energy ever since he became president over 24 months ago.

The administration had made several previous attempts to cut or stop federal oil and gas development, but the sheer scale of the proposal, which could potentially tarnish the largest tract of pristine public land in the country, raised the stakes significantly.

additional environmental impact statement The Bureau of Land Management estimates released Wednesday that the Willow project will create about 9.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year and threaten multiple freshwater sources and thousands of migratory animals from miles of pipelines, gravel and ice roads.

Asked about the project during a White House briefing Wednesday, spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the president remains committed to protecting the environment, but stressed that Biden faced an insurmountable challenge.

“The president has done more than any other president on this front,” she said, dismissing emerging criticism from environmentalists. “It continues to carry out historic climate change efforts while upholding the law and meeting our energy needs.”

While the government owns the National Oil Reserve in Alaska, the land has been leased since 1999 by ConocoPhillips, which plans to spend up to $10 billion to get the Willow project up and running — a price higher than any other current oil project in Alaska. nation.

ConocoPhillips, which operates two other wells in the same region, originally wanted to bury more than 616 acres, but the government required the project to be limited to about 550 acres to protect native species. Company executives had previously indicated that the smaller acreage was the absolute minimum needed to implement the plan.

In a separate statement, the company said it would comply with the government’s demands once a final decision has been made.

“Three core drilling sites…provide a viable path for the development of our leased area,” the company said in a statement.

The reserve is believed to hold one of the largest parent crude deposits in North America, with new drilling expected to produce up to 614 million barrels of oil over the next three decades.

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