US to offer oil and gas leases in Alaska wildlife refuge on Jan. 9

[OKIsItJustMe]

Source: AP

US to offer oil and gas leases in Alaska wildlife refuge on Jan. 9
6:19 PM EST

Dec 9 (Reuters) - The Biden administration will offer oil and gas drilling leases in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge at a sale on Jan. 9, the U.S. Interior Department said on Monday.

The agency will make 400,000 acres (161,874 hectares) available to drillers at the auction, the minimum required by a law that mandated the sale.

ANWR is a 19-million-acre refuge for species including polar bears and Porcupine caribou. The wild landscape lacks roads and public facilities, but its 1.6-million-acre coastal area along the Beaufort Sea is estimated to have up to 11.8 billion barrels of recoverable oil.

Alaska's elected officials have sought for years to open drilling in the reserve to secure jobs and revenues for the state. Congress opened up ANWR to oil and gas development as part of the 2017 tax bill.

…

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/us-offer-oil-gas-leases-alaska-wildlife-refuge-jan-9-2024-12-09/

[cilla4progress]

1. i give

up

[Lulu KC]

2. What???????

I am floored.

[Red Mountain]

3. THey might purchase them

but they aren't going to drill anytime soon.

The world market is stable. Costs to drill/produce in Alaska versus the middle east don't make sense now.....not by a long shot.

Drill, baby, drill is moronic. US companies aren't going to sell oil at a loss just to drive down market prices and by extension, gas prices at the pump.

[walkingman]

4. The GOP could care less about the environment or anything that is not profit producing.

[alarimer]

6. Why???

A big FU to environmentalists, that's for sure.

[montanacowboy]

7. Why is Biden doing this?

JHC I am so sick and tired of it all. Once they get into that wilderness all the road building and associated construction will tear it apart. Fuck it all. I have had it. There is no side I want to associate myself with anymore as I can't understand shit like this. When your own side does it how can we complain when the other side does it.

[angrychair]

9. Doesn't have a choice

It's required by law that has already made the rounds in court.
Silver lining is that drilling would be a decade away if ever. The lower prices go the less likely they are to drill there as it's not cost effective.

[travelingthrulife]

12. article says it was part of 2017 tax bill

[LauraInLA]

8. I'm wondering if they're trying to preempt Trump plans and perhaps partly limit the damage he'll do.

[cstanleytech]

10. I wouldn't worry about it just yet because as others have said they aren't likely to drill now.

In the future? Maybe. But don't forget what what is being done regarding this can always be undone later perhaps even before they can even drill a single gallon of oil.

[CousinIT]

11. Other than corporate greed, why? We don't need the oil or gas from there.

This is a giveaway to the fossil fuel barons. There's no excuse for this besides just GREED.