World News | AP Sources: Biden OKs Huge Willow Oil Project in Alaska

Washington, Mar 13 (AP) The Biden administration is approving the major Willow oil project on Alaska's petroleum-rich North Slope, according to two people familiar with the decision.

The decision revealed Monday, one of President Joe Biden's most consequential climate decisions, is likely to draw condemnation from environmentalists who say it flies in the face of the Democratic president's climate pledges.

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Climate activists have been outraged that Biden appeared open to greenlighting the project, which they said put Biden's climate legacy at risk.

Allowing oil company ConocoPhillips to move forward with the drilling plan also would break Biden's campaign promise to stop new oil drilling on public lands, they say.

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ConocoPhillips Alaska's Willow project could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day, create up to 2,500 jobs during construction and 300 long-term jobs, and generate billions of dollars in royalties and tax revenues for the federal, state and local governments, the company says.

The project, located in the federally designated National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, enjoys widespread political support in the state. Alaska Native state lawmakers recently met with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to urge support for Willow.

But environmental activists have promoted a #StopWillow campaign on social media, seeking to remind Biden of his pledges to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions and promote clean energy.

The administration's decision comes after the US Bureau of Land Management, as part of an environmental review, advanced in February a development option calling for up to three drill sites initially, which it said would include about 219 total wells. ConocoPhillips Alaska said it considered that option workable. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)