Biden proposes more offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska
The Biden administration issued a draft plan on Friday to expand oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska. The proposal from the Department of the Interior recommends holding up to 10 lease sales in the Gulf over the next five years, as well as one sale in the Cook Inlet off the coast of south-central Alaska.
It’s a significantly smaller program than the one put forward by the Trump administration, which had proposed 47 lease sales over the same time period but was never finalized. In a press release, the agency stressed that the plan was still subject to feedback from the public and that a plan with “no lease sales” was still on the table. Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland welcomed any critique.
“Today, we put forward an opportunity for the American people to …