How committed is Biden to phasing out oil? Questions abound following approval of large Conoco project in Alaska

President Joe Biden’s commitment to shifting the United States away from oil and other fossil fuels fell into further question Monday after his administration cleared Conoco Phillips to move ahead on a controversial oil drilling project in Alaska.

The Bureau of Land Management said Houston-based Conoco could proceed in developing up to 199 oil wells, along with hundreds of miles of ice roads, pipelines and other infrastructure, on federal lands in Alaska’s North Slope, a project that had drawn opposition from environmental groups over its contribution to climate change.

With the administration expected to make a decision on whether to continue offshore oil and gas leasing in the Gulf of Mexico by the end of year, the approval of Conoco’s Alaska project raised renewed speculation as to how the administration will handle leasing on federal lands and waters for the remainder of Biden’s time in office.