In March, the announcement came from Joe Biden and the US government when they said yes to the giant oil venture Willow in Alaska.
The project is described as the largest in the area in decades, and could produce upwards of 180,000 barrels of oil per day over the next 30 years.
But the project has received strong criticism from one of the indigenous peoples in the area as well as several environmental organizations. At the same time, the emissions would correspond to two million new exhaust cars, according to authority calculations.
The project was appealed, but now a federal judge has also given the green light to oil drilling, reports several American media.
“Bad news”
Erik Grafe, lawyer at the environmental organization Earthjustice, calls the verdict a disappointment and says that they intend to appeal the verdict to a higher court.
Bridget Psarianos, attorney at Trustees for Alaska, representing Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic.
– This is bad news, not only for our clients but for everyone who cares about the climate and future generations. There is too much at stake to gloss over the damage this project will do, she says.
Parts of the indigenous population believe instead that Willow is economically important to their communities and that it could create 2,500 new jobs.