Environmental Protection: The US has banned oil and gas drilling in parts of Alaska

The US government has banned oil and gas drilling in parts of the state of Alaska. The US Department of the Interior has announced that 5.2 million hectares of land will be protected in the future. This will help combat the effects of global warming, which threatens permafrost and alters the habitat of local wildlife.

The move affects the federally owned National Petroleum Reserve. The government had already banned new oil and gas projects in September in large parts of the region, home to polar and grizzly bears, caribou and hundreds of thousands of migratory birds.

“Alaska's majestic and rugged landscapes and watersheds are among the most remarkable and healthy landscapes in the world,” said US President Joe Biden. “These natural wonders demand our protection.”

A review of the previous Willow project

His government's earlier decision to green-light a controversial oil exploration project in the north defied warnings from environmentalists
Alaska The US president was heavily criticized. Alaska lawmakers and other supporters pushed for approval of the so-called Willow Plan, which was approved by the administration of Biden's predecessor, Donald Trump.

Journalists saw the new security plan as a move to burnish Biden's green image ahead of the presidential election in November. Two of the state's Republican senators have accused the US president of using conservation measures in Alaska to undermine the nation's energy security. America to underestimate. Environmental conservation group Evergreen Action hailed the approach as a “necessary step” to strengthen conservation in the region.