President Joe Biden has suspended the contracts of oil companies who had bought the rights to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. The move has been hailed as positive by environmental groups and by indigenous groups.
The contracts had been previously sold to oil companies by Donald Trump's administration for just $14.4 million, but many believe the drilling for oil would result in huge damage to the local environment and local wildlife, which includes polar bears, grizzly bears, elk and foxes.
The Gwich'in committee which represents native peoples in the area, said:
"The Gwich'in Nation is grateful and heartened by the news that the Biden administration has acted again on its commitment to protecting sacred lands and the Gwich'in way of life."
The move has been met with anger by the oil companies themselves, who were set to make millions from the projects. Energy analyst Pavel Molchanov stated:
"Trump's desire to push through this lease sale in January was essentially an empty, meaningless, political gesture. And Biden's decision is in its own way equally symbolic: there is simply no appetite in the industry to drill there."
While Biden has come in for praise regarding his policy on the Arctic, he has not been given a clean sheet by the environmental lobby.
He is facing particular criticism for continuing to support the 'Willow project' which will build hundreds of miles of roads through pristine wilderness and native lands and allow for the drilling of oil.
Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, a city council member in Nuiqsut, an Indigenous village which will be affected by the project, said:
"[Biden] led us along with his election criteria saying he would make better choices, especially along the areas of climate change. So it's very disappointing for them to speak in one way and act in another. This is one of the largest international energy development projects across the world. And that's not what he campaigned upon."
ConocoPhillips, Alaska's largest crude oil producer, has praised Biden for continuing the Willow project. The corporations' president said:
"Although the final decision on the Willow Project is still pending, clearing the DOI review represents a very significant milestone for this project. This is a great example of collaboration and thorough preparation enabling a rational, fact-based decision."
[h/t: I heart Intelligence]
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