The Biden administration on Friday took steps to limit both oil and gas drilling and mining in Alaska, angering state officials who said the restrictions will cost jobs and make the U.S. reliant on foreign resources, but pleasing environmentalists.”
“I am proud that my Administration is taking action to conserve more than 13 million acres in the Western Arctic and to honor the culture, history, and enduring wisdom of Alaska Natives who have lived on and stewarded these lands since time immemorial,” Biden said in a statement.
“When you take off access to our resources, when you say you cannot drill, you cannot produce, you cannot explore, you cannot move it — this is the energy insecurity that we’re talking about,” Senator Lisa Murkowski said.
“As the Arctic undergoes dramatic climatic changes, this new rule (on NPR-A) is absolutely necessary to protect birds, caribou, and fish,” said David Krause, interim executive director at Audubon Alaska.
