Alaska Oil Project Approval Adds to Climate Concern

The Biden administration’s approval of a massive oil development in northern Alaska commits the U.S. to yet another decades-long crude project.

This is raising alarm as scientists urge a halt on more fossil fuels to stem devastating climate change.

ConocoPhillips’ Willow project was approved Monday and would result in at least 263 million tons of planet-warming gases over 30 years. Scientists say it’s moving the world in the wrong direction at a time when emission reductions are needed.

But for Alaska, the project promises an economic boost. A bitter political dispute over the Alaska project has underscored Biden’s struggle to balance economic pressures against his pledges to curb fossil fuels.