Haaland defends Willow, says US won’t end oil drilling

By MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Interior Secretary Deb Haaland defended her department’s approval of the contentious Willow oil project on Friday, saying that despite President Joe Biden’s campaign promise to end new drilling on federal lands, “We’re not going to turn the faucet off and say we’re not drilling anymore.″ Speaking to the Society of Environmental Journalists’ annual meeting in Idaho, Haaland said the Biden administration is “following the science and the law when it comes to everything we do, and that includes gas and oil″ leases. Despite Biden’s pledge, Haaland said, “We’re not going to say we’re not going to use gas and oil. That’s not reality.”