8 The combination of two existing technologies, hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, made production possible from oil and gas deposits that had never been “in the money” before. 7Īgainst the backdrop of political drama around this one project, the United States continues to be a leader in oil production. climate goals and accusing the administration, which very much wants to keep climate goals at the center of its policies, of hypocrisy. 6 Nonetheless, the Willow project approval brought a new level of backlash, with activists describing the project as a “carbon bomb” incompatible with U.S. 5 The administration approved a slimmed-down version of the project in March 2023, granting ConocoPhillips permission to drill on some areas of its leased lands while the company agreed to relinquish its leases in other areas. ConocoPhillips had been acquiring oil and gas leases in the area since the late 1990s and was seeking final approval to drill. 4īiden’s recent approval of the Willow project, an oil production project on Alaska’s North Slope, attracted a great deal of attention from those concerned about the climate. Nonetheless, the compromise was necessary to generate enough votes for the bill’s passage, and the benefits of the IRA far outweigh any additional fossil production that might occur. 3 This provision goes against a promise President Joe Biden made on the campaign trail not to approve new drilling for oil and gas on federal lands and was controversial in the environmental community. Controversially, it also includes a provision requiring the government to offer specified acreage of federal onshore and offshore holdings for oil and gas leasing, in order to allow for onshore and offshore renewables development. The IRA offers tax credits for many clean energy technologies and funds the research and implementation of promising technologies. 2 The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed in August 2022, is a key down payment on that promise. The United States under the Biden administration has made ambitious promises of greenhouse emissions reductions, pledging a 50% to 52% reduction of net U.S. Controversy over continuing oil production and climate goals Climate change is a global problem, and policies that simply move emissions outside the United States are not real solutions. Continuing production must be accompanied by strong policies to reduce oil demand, as we see today in stringent fuel economy standards established and proposed by the Biden administration, along with strict regulation of domestic oil production. This paper does not argue for unchecked oil production. energy security will also suffer if the United States reduces domestic oil production faster than demand. Oil is plentiful, fungible, and easy to transport, and other producers can easily step in to meet oil demand if the United States does not. The United States is not the world’s marginal producer of oil, meaning that eliminating a project in the United States will not meaningfully reduce global oil production. oil production will only move emissions elsewhere, rather than reducing them. Without these changes in our transport system, canceling specific projects or limiting U.S. While this task might be more challenging, changing our patterns of fuel demand will actually, permanently decrease U.S. It could also involve redesigning our cities and lifestyles, making more efficient forms of transport workable and attractive. In the case of oil, it primarily involves changing how we fuel our transportation system - moving from gasoline and diesel to electricity for most of our on-road transport. This is a more difficult task than protesting particular projects or companies it involves changing the system through which we use energy. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the oil industry is to reduce oil demand, rather than focusing on reducing domestic oil production. However, this paper argues that the best way to reduce U.S. 1 Many of the large players in the oil industry are household names and are frequently in the news when they generate huge profits. Some companies acted to deny and bury climate science in the past, drawing comparisons to the tobacco industry. Moreover, much production in the United States comes from oil companies whose past behavior makes them easy targets for attacks. Without production, oil can’t be consumed. A focus on reducing oil production to combat climate change seems obvious. United States oil production is a lightning rod for the environmental community.
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