Joe Biden administration bans oil and gas drilling on millions of Alaska acres

As part of its mission to preserve protected natural spaces, the Joe Biden administration announced that it would prohibit oil and gas extraction on 13 million acres located in Alaska.

In this way, a large region located in the western Arctic will be protected, which is part of an area known as the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.

In 1923, Warren G. Harding, then president of the nation, reserved this territory as a source of emergency oil supply for the Navy.

In addition to the wealth of minerals and hydrocarbons that predominate in this area of ​​Alaska, there is also fauna that makes it unique, as it is home to polar bears, caribou and birds, to name just a few species.

As part of the region’s conservation project, The federal government also announced its reluctance to build an industrial highway that would run through part of northwest Alaska to certain copper and zinc deposits.which prevents them from being exploited adequately.

In this regard, John Podesta, White House advisor, issued a statement referring to the importance of ensuring the conservation of Natural Reserves.

“Today’s historic actions to protect lands and waters in the Western Arctic will ensure continued subsistence use by Alaska Native communities while preserving these special places for future generations.

With these new announcements, the Biden-Harris administration has protected more than 41 million acres of lands and waters across the country, leaving an enormous mark on American conservation history,” the letter states.

However, the controversial thing about the topic is that, Last year, the federal government approved Project Willow that will allow ConocoPhillips to drill in Alaska for three decades.

For their part, a large sector of members of the Alaska Congress agree that the position taken by the government in preventing oil extraction in the state will have a severe negative impact on the local economy.

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