Officials offer climate activists possible deal on Alaska oil project
Last edited Wed Mar 1, 2023, 05:44 PM - Edit history (1)
Source: Washington Post
White House officials suggested to environmental groups in recent days that they may pair approval for a controversial Arctic oil project with new conservation measures in Alaska, but have failed to convince activists the idea is an acceptable compromise, according to three people involved or briefed on the calls.
The high-stakes talks involve what some officials see as one of the most consequential climate decisions of President Biden’s first term, a multibillion-dollar drilling project called Willow. The administration can announce a decision within days, and rejecting the project could lock the administration into a costly legal challenge and alienate key Alaska lawmakers in Congress.
The compromise measures under discussion would include a new ban on drilling in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska’s North Slope and more habitat protections for other parts of the state, said two of the people familiar with the talks, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential communications.
They added that administration officials are seriously considering shrinking the Arctic project to just two approved drilling pads, a size so small that officials for ConocoPhillips — the company that has spent nearly five years pursuing federal approval — have suggested it would cause them to back out.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/03/01/willow-project-biden-conoco-phillips/
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