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The Biden administration has announced that it will suspend the Arctic oil drilling rights sold in the last days of Donald Trump’s presidency, reversing the former White House’s signature policy and delivering a victory to environmentalists.
On his first day as president, Joe Biden headed the interior department to review oil and gas activity at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of the largest areas of virgin natural areas in the Arctic. United States. On Tuesday, the department said the licenses would be suspended pending an environmental and legal review.
He said he had “identified flaws in the underlying record of the decision supporting leases, including the lack of analysis of a reasonable range of alternatives” required by the National Environmental Policy Act, a law of decades old marking environmental standards.
To address four years of inaction on climate change, Biden has unveiled a series of measures to regain American status as a leader in environmental issues. This includes joining the Paris climate agreement and revoking a permit for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, announcing plans to halve the emission of greenhouse gasess 2030 and the integration of climate risk into the financial system.
Oil companies and Republicans have long tried to exploit the rich oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a 19-acre site that houses polar bears, caribou and other endangered wildlife and is considered sacred. by the gwich’in indigenous communities.
An airplane flies over the caribou in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge © USFWS / AP
Gina McCarthy, the White House national climate adviser, described the move as a “major step forward” in fulfilling Biden’s commitment to protect the shelter, following the Trump administration’s decision to sell the licenses. in January against opposition from activists.
The Biden administration has also pledged to end the new lease of oil and gas on federal lands, a strong departure from the Trump era, when environmental regulations and restrictions on energy producers were delayed.
Trump tried to open part of the shelter (approximately 1.5 million acres along the coast) as part of a flagship plan to encourage increased fossil fuel production in the U.S. despite increased reaction from environmentalists , large investors and the public.
Local officials have opposed the Biden measure, saying it is a massive blow to the regional economy and to an industry on which Alaska depends heavily.
“Our oil and gas leases are valid and cannot be removed by the federal government,” said Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy. “I oppose this assault on the Alaska economy and will use all means necessary to undo this blatant federal scope.”
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