Photo: courtesy of Democracy Now!
President Joe Biden has approved a massive ConocoPhillips oil and gas development in Alaska. The $7 billion Willow project is expected to produce 180,000 barrels of oil per day, adding some 240 million metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution to the atmosphere over 30 years.
Some of Biden’s fellow Democrats, including Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, blasted the decision, saying it “leaves an oil stain on the administration’s climate accomplishments and the president’s commitment not to permit new oil and gas drilling on federal land.” This is Kristen Monsell, senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity.
Kristen Monsell: “I think he is trying to appease the Alaska delegation and fossil fuel cronies in Congress. And that’s incredibly disappointing to see. We don’t have time to compromise when it comes to addressing the climate crisis. Biden can’t have his cake and eat it, too, when it comes to handling what is an existential crisis.”
