The United States has decided to lift the protected area designated by the Biden administration to expand energy drilling in Alaska.
According to the U.S. Department of the Interior on the 2nd (local time), Minister Doug Burgum proposed the cancellation of the policy that restricted oil and gas drilling on about 13 million acres in Alaska last year, stating that it exceeded the administration's authority.
Minister Burgum criticized, saying, "The Biden administration weakened the ability to utilize domestic resources at a time when U.S. energy independence is most important."
The Biden administration created regulations in May last year limiting leases for new oil and natural gas development sites on 13 million acres within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (NPR-A) in Alaska. The U.S. Department of the Interior plans to publish the Alaska protected area lifting policy in the Federal Register and seek public comments for the next 60 days.
According to the Associated Press, Minister Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Leith Zeldin inspected Prudhoe Bay, where the Alaska gas field is located.
Minister Wright said to gas field workers on-site, "Let's double oil production in Alaska and build massive and beautiful twin oil fields, and then we will invigorate the world and strengthen the nation and families."
The visit to Prudhoe Bay was accompanied by Takahiko Matsuo, Deputy Minister for Trade at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, according to the Associated Press.
The state governments of Alaska will hold a conference to introduce key details of the pipeline project to government officials from Korea, Japan, and other countries. Representative Lee Ho-hyun, head of the energy policy division at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, will attend from Korea.
This project, estimated to cost $44 billion (about 60 trillion won) initially, involves constructing a pipeline approximately 1,300 kilometers long from the Arctic gas field to the south of Alaska, and then liquefying gas there for export to Asian countries. Due to low success prospects, U.S. energy corporations such as ExxonMobil have withdrawn, resulting in a lack of progress for a long time.
However, President Trump has pressured Korea and Japan to participate in the project since taking office. The Trump administration expects that if Korea, Japan, and others invest and increase the import volume of Alaskan energy, the trade surplus with the U.S. will also decrease.