We reported over the weekend that President Joe Biden was likely to approve oil drilling on federal land in Alaska. He did approve it on Monday. In essence, he was mocking the radical environmentalists who had shaped his energy agenda.
We strongly argued that Biden is aware of the practical issues that high gas prices pose for his legacy as well as his re-election prospects.
We wrote that Biden, unlike his radical green base who thinks the world’s economy is run on daffodils or unicorns, realized that shutting down oil pipelines and securing oil and gas drilling permits on federal lands might not have been the best idea. “Despite cheers by greens, the rest was ready to grab their pitchforks to march to the White House equipped with buckets full of tar and baskets full of feathers.”
According to the Washington Times, ConocoPhillips’ oil project, also known as Willow, will produce 180,000 barrels per day. Projections suggest that it could generate 600,000.0 million barrels in a 30-year time period. The Willow project could account for as much as 1.5% of all U.S. oil production.
Both parties in Alaska praised the president for approving the $8 billion-dollar project due to the potential revenue it would bring. It’s easy enough to see who was unhappy — you can tell it by the D next to their names.
Sen. Ed Markey (D.Minn.), who was a terrible person overall and helped to create the notorious Green New Deal, made it abundantly clear.
Markey stated that the decision “not only leaves an oil stain upon the administration’s climate achievements and the president’s promise not to permit new drilling on federal land but also slows down our progress in fighting for a more livable world and puts into danger the neighboring Native Village Nuiqsut as well as the Arctic landscape.”
Markey also released a joint statement with Jared Huffman, Raul Grijalva, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y), complaining that the decision to approve Willow failed to live up to the promises that the Biden administration made about prioritizing climate change.
Senator Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.N.Y.), was so upset that a reporter asked about the Willow decision. He then turned the question over to House Republicans who named H.R. 1. A rollback of environmental rules from the Biden administration, which is their top legislative priority.
“The bottom line is that this H.R. 1, as I said, is a bill just for the oil companies,” Schumer grumbled. “It doesn’t deal [with] what we need for clean energy, and we need to get something done better.”
You see, Schumer has to retain some semblance of unity with Biden, so it’s the fault of the GOP.
While the president has made many promises about focusing on climate change and reducing U.S. energy dependence, he and his administration know how badly that has performed with so many Americans. You don’t need to be a cynic in order to see Biden’s approval of the Willow project as a calculated, political move. This should be something that these Democrats should also be able to comprehend.
