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Writer's pictureDPE Project

Biden admin oil drill

Updated: Jan 30, 2022

by Erin Guo

Photo from Getty Images

President Biden has announced plans of opening millions of acres of public land for oil drilling and gas exploration, leading people to point out how he has failed to deliver on promises of ending oil drilling, which creates many environmental setbacks and impacts. His two-step plan for the climate was to stop further progress of the oil and gas industry offshore and on federal lands.


Earlier in the year, Biden temporarily paused drilling auctions. However, in June, the auctions were continued because the government was required by law to offer land to the oil and gas industry.


Drilling for oil generates a lot of revenue but also contributes to about 1/4 of US greenhouse gas emissions.


So far, the Biden administration has approved 3,091 new drilling permits at about 332 per month. In November, the US Government held an auction of oil and gas drilling leases, the largest ever in the Gulf of Mexico with 80 million acres of the gulf’s seabed for fossil fuel extraction. The move was criticized by climate change activists and environmental groups as it further exacerbated the climate crisis.


Ironically, the sale took place just four days after COP26, the 2021 global climate change conference. Biden’s approval of new permits contradicts his climate agenda, which aims to cut US greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050, leaving many who voted for Biden disappointed as they believe his administration is not doing enough to address the issue.

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