CORRECTS NUMBER OF ACRES TO 16 MILLION NOT 13 MILLION - FILE - This 2019 aerial photo provided by ConocoPhillips shows an exploratory drilling camp at the proposed site of the Willow oil project on Alaska's North Slope. President Joe Biden will prevent or limit oil drilling in 16 million acres of Alaska and the Arctic Ocean, an administration official said on Sunday, March 12, 2023. The expected announcement comes as regulators prepare to announce a final decision on the controversial Willow project. (ConocoPhillips via AP, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration is approving the major Willow oil project on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope, according to two people familiar with the decision.
The decision revealed Monday, one of President Joe Biden’s most consequential climate decisions, is likely to draw condemnation from environmentalists who say it flies in the face of the Democratic president’s climate pledges.