According to Reuters, Ryan Lance, ConocoPhillips CEO, said Tuesday that the Biden administration’s goal to combat climate change by providing incentives under its Inflation Reduction Act can only be achieved if reform is allowed.
According to Reuters, Lance stated that without reforms to the permitting process, it would be impossible to develop infrastructure for low-carbon alternative fuels like oil and gas. Several other energy and mining executives made similar remarks at Monday’s conference. According to The Washington Post, John Podesta, White House Deputy Chief Of Staff, stressed that permits for clean energy infrastructure were a priority for the Biden administration.
In return for Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia voting in favor of Inflation Reduction Act (then minority leader), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer promised that the Senate would approve Manchin’s permit reform proposal. E&E news reported that the bill was ultimately blocked by President Joe Biden despite his support. It was criticized for its ability to streamline fossil fuel investments, and it was criticised by conservatives for not going far enough.
Lance said that Conoco’s Willow project was a north Alaskan oil-drilling operation and that the permitting process had been politicized. According to CNN, the Trump administration approved the project in 2020. It has also received bipartisan support from Alaskan lawmakers. The Biden administration is expected to rule on a scaled down version of the project this week.
According to Reuters, Lance stated that “if we don’t get [oil] form Alaska, it will come from somewhere else.” “It will probably come from someplace else in the world with lower environmental standards than the state of Alaska.”
ConocoPhillips and the White House did not immediately respond when Daily Caller News Foundation asked them for comment.
