WASHINGTON, D.C. — Marty Durbin, President of the U.S. Chamber’s Global Energy Institute, issued the following statement regarding the Biden Administration’s announcement to move forward on the Willow project while restricting energy development in the Arctic:
“Unfortunately, the Biden Administration continues to send mixed messages about the importance of U.S. oil and natural gas at a time when the world needs it the most. Allowing the Willow project to proceed is a win for energy security and for Alaska families. But it is disappointing that the Administration is taking vast amounts of oil and natural gas in the Arctic off the table for production.
“Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made the importance of U.S. production clearer than ever. Not only does U.S. oil and natural gas act as a check on those who seek to weaponize energy, it is also better for the environment than gas produced in Russia and other nations. Therefore, placing these new restrictions on oil and natural gas development is not sound policy. Oil and natural gas produced in Alaska and the Arctic will produce fewer emissions than production abroad, and forcing production overseas to compensate is bad for the economy and for our security.”