ConocoPhillips plans to drill exploratory wells in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska to expand its drilling operations in the Arctic, if approved by the Interior Department.

The exploration via four wells and seismic testing — if they lead to significant discoveries underground — could increase crude oil production out of Alaska for years. The state is already the site of ConocoPhillips’ planned Willow oil project.

That would align with the Trump administration’s push to double down on American fossil fuel production. It could also lock in decades’ worth of new carbon emissions at a time when scientists are warning of the dire consequences that will come from a failure to curb climate change.

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