The Biden government plans to issue 11 new licenses for offshore oil drilling over the next five years. Ten of these would be issued in the Gulf of Mexico and one in Alaska. A plan that won’t please everyone as President Joe Biden pledged during his campaign not to issue new licenses for oil and gas drilling.
This is a proposal that could be criticized in the coming months. It is expected that there will be, especially from climate activists who believe that Biden is going back on his election promises with the new licenses.
The companies involved are also not keen on the government’s new plans. “A reliable and affordable energy supply requires long-term planning, a government-wide approach and clear signals to the market,” said Marty Durbin, who represents energy companies at the US Chamber of Commerce. “This proposal does none of those things.”
The government’s proposal came out on Friday. That comes a day after the Supreme Court ruled that the environmental agency EPA does not have the authority to impose limits on existing power plants on their greenhouse gas emissions. The ruling complicates the government’s climate plans.
