March 15, 2023 12:13pm EDT
Biden admin hit with lawsuit over approval of massive oil drilling project: 'We are enraged'
Biden administration approved a 'carbon bomb without adequately assessing its climate impacts,' lawyer for eco group says
By Thomas Catenacci | Fox News
A number of prominent environmental organizations filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday morning against the Biden administration, challenging its decision to green-light a massive oil drilling project in Alaska earlier this week.
The coalition of groups said President Biden's approval of the Willow Project — an oil drilling project in northern Alaska forecasted to produce more than 600 million barrels of crude oil over its 30-year lifespan — undermines his climate agenda and goals of significantly slashing greenhouse gas emissions over the next decade. The Department of the Interior (DOI) finalized the decision approving three of the project's proposed five drilling sites on Monday.
"There is no question that the administration possessed the legal authority to stop Willow – yet it chose not to," said Erik Grafe, the deputy managing attorney at the Alaska regional office for Earthjustice. "It greenlit this carbon bomb without adequately assessing its climate impacts or weighing its options to limit the damage and say no."
"The climate crisis is one of the greatest challenges we face, and President Biden has promised to do all he can to meet the moment," Grafe continued. "We’re bringing today’s lawsuit to ensure that the administration follows the law and ultimately makes good on this promise for future generations."
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-admin-hit-lawsuit-approval-massive-oil-drilling-project-enraged
