The Biden Administration will suspend licenses for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a protected natural area in the northeastern part of the state of Alaska. The president then cancels one of Donald Trump’s controversial moves, implemented in his final weeks in the White House. The decision was widely awaited and follows the settlement day executive order for a moratorium on new drilling in the Arctic.
The halt to oil and gas extraction contracts was announced by the Department of the Interior. However, this is not a definitive stop: the Administration will decide whether the permits will be confirmed, canceled or modified to protect the environment. The US department has in fact announced a legal review of the previous administration’s decision to grant permits.
Loading…
“President Biden believes that the national treasures of America are cultural and economic cornerstones of our country and is grateful for the prompt action of the Department of the Interior to suspend all contracts pending a review of the decisions taken in the last days of the last administration, which could have changed the identity of this special place forever, ”Gina McCarthy, White House National Climate Advisor, said in a statement.
The initiative, announced three weeks ago, dilutes one of former President Donald Trump’s major efforts to expand the development of fossil fuels and minerals in the United States. President Biden, already in the electoral campaign, had pledged to protect the natural habitat of polar bears, caribou and migratory birds. Covering approximately 19 million acres (78,000 sq km), the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is often described as America’s last great wilderness reserve. This is an area as large as a quarter of the surface of Italy.
The stop to drilling has received praise from Arctic tribal leaders but not from Republican politicians. “This action has no purpose other than to hinder Alaska’s economy and jeopardize our energy security,” Republican Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski wrote in a joint statement along with Rep. Don Young and to Governor Mike Dunleavy.