Sen. Ed Markey blasts Biden for approval of giant Alaska oil project

Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) blasted President Joe Biden over his administration’s approval of the Willow Mission, a large-scale oil drilling enterprise that has stoked the ire of environmentalists.

Markey — who chairs the Senate Surroundings and Public Works Subcommittee on Clear Air, Local weather, and Nuclear Security — panned the transfer as a grave injustice and an “oil stain on the administration’s climate accomplishments” whereas underscoring Biden’s previous dedication to not greenlight “new oil and fuel allowing on public lands and waters.”

INTERIOR APPROVES GIANT ALASKA OIL PROJECT AGAINST ENVIRONMENTAL OBJECTIONS

“Approval of the Willow Mission is an environmental injustice. The Biden administration’s determination to maneuver ahead with one of many largest oil improvement tasks in a long time sends the fallacious message to our worldwide companions, the local weather and environmental justice motion, and younger folks,” Markey stated in a assertion.

A number of environmental activists and progressive members of Congress railed against the project, which seeks to produce 180,000 barrels of oil per day on five drilling pads and 500 million barrels over its lifetime. Project organizers had lobbied the government for approval for years. Some Democrats, such as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), backed the measure.

Biden’s recent moves on the Willow Project, crime, and immigration have been widely viewed as a lurch toward the center ahead of his expected 2024 campaign launch. But the maneuvers have rankled some progressives.

ConocoPhillips and Alaska’s bipartisan congressional delegation sought approval of the project. Under the Bureau of Land Management’s approval of the project, three drilling pads were given the go-ahead, while two were denied. Still, Markey was displeased.

“This determination not solely leaves an oil stain on the administration’s local weather accomplishments and the President’s dedication to not allow new oil and fuel dril