Despite objections from Democrats and environmentalists, the Biden administration has approved a multi-billion dollar oil drilling project in Alaska called the Willow Master development plan.
The project will open up the National Petroleum Reserve north of Alaska for energy production, and is a significant reversal for the White House, as President Biden had promised to move the country away from fossil fuels during his campaign.
The project will take place on a 23-acre expanse in Alaska’s Northern scope, and will involve drilling on three sites, down from the original proposal of five sites, in an effort to reduce the impact on the environment and endangered species.
The administration claimed that they had little choice but to approve the project, as legal challenges were looming.
However, critics argue that this decision sends the wrong message in the fight against climate change.
Democratic Senator Markey of Massachusetts, for example, criticized the administration’s decision to move forward with the largest oil development project in decades, saying that it goes against President Biden’s commitments to addressing climate change.
