“The Biden administration will suspend controversial leases issued under the [Trump] administration for drilling at the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR),” The Hill reported on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. Read story here.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said “a departmental review found ‘multiple legal deficiencies’ in the record supporting the leases,” The Hill said, and as a result the leases “will be halted amid a further environmental review.” The leases were issued the day before Trump left office.
For background on the ANWR drilling controversy, which has been simmering since 1977, read the Wikipedia article here.
It makes no sense to tear up one of the world’s most valuable ecological areas for unneeded oil. Apart from climate change concerns, which are real and legitimate, fracking changed everything — we have oil coming out of our ears, and global oil markets have struggled with surpluses for years. We don’t need more oil.
The counter-argument is that it would take a decade or more to develop ANWR oil and bring it to market. By then, it may be needed. But this assumes fracking will have run its course by then, which is unlikely, and ignores the fact that many experts believe half of U.S. cars will be electric by then. What’s indisputable is that Trump didn’t give a hoot about the environment, and had no qualms about vandalizing lands like this:
