Wednesday, June 2nd, 2021
Oil production in nature reserve
Biden stops Trump project in Alaska
In the last days of his tenure, then US President Trump awarded ten years of drilling in an arctic nature reserve in Alaska. His successor Biden wants to stop the measures. Now they are put on hold for the time being.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has suspended all activities related to the controversial oil and gas demand in a nature reserve in Alaska. The Department of the Interior in Washington announced that the validity of the relevant licenses had been frozen. The license holders would be informed of this measure.
The government reversed the decision made under former President Donald Trump. The freeze on oil production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge does not come as a surprise – Biden had already stated before taking office in January that he was against oil and gas drilling in the region.
The decision now announced by the Ministry of the Interior is only of a provisional nature. According to the ministry, a comprehensive review of the ecological aspects of the oil production projects in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is to take place. After this examination has been completed, a decision will be made as to whether the licenses issued are to be confirmed, canceled or linked to restrictive conditions.
Last August, under Trump, the Interior Ministry gave the go-ahead for drilling in the coastal region in northern Alaska, which is home to polar bears, reindeer and many other animals. Shortly before Trump left office, his government auctioned licenses for oil production on eleven areas in the nature reserve.
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