The Biden administration is approving the controversial major Willow oil project on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope.  

Anticipating that reaction among environmental groups, the White House announced on Sunday that Biden will prevent or limit oil drilling in 16 million acres in Alaska and the Arctic Ocean. 

The plan would bar drilling in nearly 3 million acres of the Beaufort Sea, closing it off from oil exploration, and limit drilling in more than 13 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve. 

President Joe Biden told Americans the nation’s financial systems were safe, seeking to project calm following the swift and major collapse of two banks that promoted fears of a broader upheaval. 

U.S. regulators closed the Silicon Valley Bank on Friday after it experienced a traditional bank run, where depositors rushed to withdraw their funds all at once. It is the second largest bank failure in U.S. history. 

In an effort to shore up confidence in the banking system, the Treasury Department, Federal Reserve and FDIC said Sunday that all Silicon Valley Bank clients would be protected and able to access their money. 

Scooter’s has reopened for the spring semester in Anderson Student Center with limited promotion after being closed since spring 2020.  

This retail dining option on campus closed in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Now that the pandemic is becoming more manageable and people are looking for jobs, St. Thomas decided to open it back up.   

Currently, Scooter’s is open Wednesday through Sunday 3-10 p.m. With the help of more staff, Scooter’s hopes to expand their hours from 10 a.m. till 11 p.m. 

 

Mackenna Meyers can be reached at meye6697@stthomas.edu.