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A federal judge tossed out the Trump administration's environmental review of a massive oil and gas project on Alaska's North Slope. The 110-page ruling found that the approval didn't thoroughly consider the greenhouse gas impacts of the project, and didn't specify how polar bears would be protected.
The Willow project was touted as being able to produce 160,000 barrels of oil a day, but Alaska Natives and conservation groups sued, saying the Trump administration's review violated the National Environmental Policy Act and the Environmental Protection Act.
Judge Sharon Gleason agreed, saying the Bureau of Land Management made "serious" errors in its review. “BLM also failed to adequately analyze a reasonable range of alternatives for the Willow Project,” Gleason wrote, noting that considering alternatives is “a process that is ‘the heart of the environmental impact statement.’”
Environmental activists were surprised when the Biden administration chose to defend the project earlier this year. Lead attorney Jeremy Lieb of Earthjustice said the ruling “gives the Biden administration the opportunity to reconsider whether to approve the project in light of its commitment to address climate change.”
Biden picks tribal leader to run Park Service
President Biden announced he'll nominate Chuck Sams, a longtime Oregon tribal leader, as the next director of the National Park Service. If confirmed, Sams would become the first Native American director of the Park Service, which did not have a Senate-confirmed director for the entirety of the Trump administration.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown praised Sams' nomination, saying “I have worked closely with Chuck for many years, and have witnessed firsthand his unparalleled devotion and service to his Tribe, our state, and our nation.”
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What hurts is knowing that, you know, they already have a contract with a construction company that, as soon as the land transfer takes place, the first thing to do is they're going to cut the oak trees and plant them elsewhere.... These trees need to stay because they are the parents since the beginning of time.”
