The Biden Administration recently announced that they have decided to give the green-light on the ConocoPhillips decade-long environmental project. The Willow Project is designed to allow oil drilling on the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, which is owned by the federal government. The National Petroleum Reserve is a 23 million acre piece of property that sits on more oil than the nation’s current emergency supply. The area in Alaska where the drilling will take place holds around 600 million barrels of oil. However, with the plan not yet constructed, it will take years for the oil to even reach the market. Biden’s Interior Department approved three drilling sites instead of the original proposed five sites.
The Willow Project is projected to release 9.2 million metric tons of carbon pollution a year, which will accelerate into 260 million metric tons over the next 30 years. The estimated 9.2 million metric tons is equivalent to adding about 2 million gas-powered cars to the roads. The oil will deliver $17 billion in revenue to the federal and state governments and Alaskan communities.
The Willow Project has brought up much online controversy, including a change.org petition with over 2.9 million signatures. Climate advocates have begun to fight for a court challenge against the decision, and users have taken to using TikTok to spread awareness. Also, more than 1 million letters were written and sent to the White House in petition of the project.
In Alaska, the project is supported by some regions because of its ability to create jobs, increase domestic energy production, and create less reliance on foreign oil. An Alaskan native group says that the project will bring their region a new revenue of education and health care. However, residents closer to the drilling project say that they are concerned for health and environmental impacts. Some natives rely on caribou and fishing as their main source of food, and the Willow Project will harm these animals.
Biden’s administration has been facing mass amounts of backlash regarding their promises to help the climate crisis and pledge of no new drilling on federal lands. In Biden’s campaign, he advocated that his goal was to reduce carbon emissions in the United States 50% by the year 2030. Approving the Willow Project will place huge setbacks in his goal, making it almost impossible.
Earthjustice, an environmental law group, has begun to prepare a court case against the Willow Project, arguing that Biden’s administration should be using their authority to prevent climate damage.
The president of Earthjustice, Abigail Dillen, said, “We are too late in the climate crisis to approve massive oil and gas projects that directly undermine the new clean economy that the Biden Administration committed to advancing. We know President Biden understands the existential threat of climate, but he is approving a project that derails his own climate goals.”
Earthjustice, along with other environmental groups, plan to argue that Biden’s administration should have denied ConocoPhillips a permit to begin oil and gas drilling due to multiple environmental concerns. The environmental concerns that Earthjustice plans to argue are climate impact, danger to freshwater sources, threats to migratory birds, caribou, whales, and animal habitats.
Biden is expected to announce restrictions in an effort to reduce environmental concerns. He is planning to announce protections of grizzly bears, polar bears, and more; protect 13 million acres from future drilling; and limit future oil leases in the Arctic.
Side Bar-
Link to petition:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-willow-project-90614d72-92eb-414f-a9cd-c608cf247bbe
Link to Earthjustice donation:
https://act.earthjustice.org/a/give-today?ms=web_menu_header&_ga=2.5217521.334630776.1678806349-2095206405.1678806349
Map:
