Federal Judge Halts Alaska Offshore Drilling to Protect Endangered Beluga Whales
Anchorage, Alaska — A federal court has recently overturned an offshore drilling project in Alaska’s Cook Inlet, striking a significant victory for environmentalists. The decision to block the venture underlines ongoing tensions between energy development and environmental conservation. The disputed action was part of mandatory offshore drilling lease sales driven by the Inflation Reduction Act, a resolution heavily influenced by Senator Joe Manchin as a trade-off for promoting offshore wind projects, which are a central focus of the Biden administration. U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason decided on Tuesday that the federal environmental review inadequately addressed … Read more