US approves Alaska oil drilling project, faces wrath by climate activists

US government has approved the $8 billion Willow oil drilling project in Alaska, media outlets reported on Monday saying that the move faces the wrath of climate activists and environmentalists.

The US Interior Department has reduced the size of the project by denying two of the five drill sites and approving the rest three proposed by Alaska's largest crude oil producer and largest owner of exploration leases, ConocoPhillips.

Earlier, the Biden administration was mooting to reduce the size of the project to two sites. Had the sites were reduced to only two, it would have yielded the company only 70% of the oil they initially shown the interest to drill from the project.

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The approval of this very contentious project is also a political advance for Alaska’s bipartisan congressional delegation which lent its backing to the White House.The final scope of the project will cover 68,000 fewer acres, CNN reported citing sources.

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On environment conservation front, the protections were extended to the special areas which include Teshekpuk Lake, Utukok Uplands, Peard Bay Colville River, Kasegaluk Lagoon.These places are crucial habitat to grizzly bears, migratory birds polar bears and caribou.

Owned by the US federal government, the Willow Project is a decades-long oil drilling venture in the National Petroleum Reserve.Even as the climate activists are strongly protesting against the project, the oil project would still years to fully take off with oil making its way in the market.

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The area where the project will be constructed reportedly carries 600 million barrels of oil. As per Biden administration’s estimates, the project would generate enough oil to release 9.2 million metric tons of carbon pollution a year. This equates to adding 2 million gas-powered cars.

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Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen said that the approval will be a blow to the climate goals.

“We are too late in the climate crisis to approve massive oil and gas projects that directly undermine the new clean economy that the Biden Administration committed to advancing,” Dillen said adding, “We know President Biden understands the existential threat of climate, but he is approving a project that derails his own climate goals.”

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