Project had been approved by the previous administration.
President Joe Biden is supporting a Conoco-Phillips oil development project in Alaska, backing the drilling plan that was approved under the previous administration, despite the position his administration has taken to reduce American dependence on fossil fuels.
The U.S. Interior Department said in an email, “A Wednesday filing by the U.S. Department of Justice continues to defend a 2020 Record of Decision for the Willow Project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.”
The project has been promoted by Alaska Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, both of whom discussed the oil project during a meeting with the president Monday. Senator Murkowski said the engagement with administration officials since that meeting was “very productive.”
The project holds 590 million barrels of recoverable oil and could produce up to 160,000 barrels per day as soon as 2024, according to estimates from Conoco-Phillips.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the president and his administration as they seek to find the balance between reducing the use of fossil fuels yet supplying the nation’s energy needs.
- For U.S. officials tasked with overseeing environmental issues connected with drilling in the Alaska Reserve.
Sources: Axios, New York Times, Reuters
