A 2019 aerial photo of an exploratory drilling camp at the location of the Willow Project, found on CNN. (ConocoPhillips via AP, File)

The Willow Project has proven to be one of the most controversial topics circulating among Americans in the past few months. With over a million letters sent to the White House and an online petition with millions of signatures protesting its approval, as of March 13th, 2023, the Biden administration has officially approved the largest oil drilling project brought up in American courts. With all this uproar about it, people have begun to stir and ask, what even is the Willow project? Well, you don’t have to be a climate activist or politician to understand both sides of this complex issue.

The Willow project was originally introduced years ago and was approved under the Trump administration but was later reversed by a federal judge in 2021 with the grounds of the environmental estimates needing to be re-evaluated. After being reassessed, the project has been approved by the president’s administration.

The Willow project is an oil-drilling endeavor set to happen in the National Petroleum Preserve. It will generate 600 million barrels of oil which the company behind the drilling, ConocoPhillips, has said would make up to 17 billion dollars in revenue for the Federal Government (VOA). Additionally, the number of resources that would be generated as a result of this project would be extraordinary. According to a source interviewing U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, he said that the Willow project could be “‘one of the biggest, most important resource development projects in our state’s history’” (Alaska Public).

With this revenue and the number of jobs and economic development the project would make for Alaska, this could be considered a win. The opposition, however, says otherwise. By the Biden administration’s assessments, the project could produce 9.2 million metric tons of carbon pollution yearly, which makes it a threat to Alaska’s ecosystems (CNN). Alaska’s climate is already in trouble, with average annual temperatures rising by 3 degrees Fahrenheit in the last 60 years, which is double the warming seen in the rest of the country. The sudden increase has affected the lifestyle and habitats of hundreds of bird species and Caribou. Additionally, this temperature rise has resulted in the melting of sea ice, causing destruction of habitat, and hunting grounds for polar bears, walruses, and many other species. With a 50% reduction in sea ice since 1979, warming waters, coastal erosion threats in the water, and drier conditions resulting in wildfires, droughts, and insect infestation on land, the climate of Alaska is already in trouble.

Climate activists fear that adding more oil drilling to an already threatened environment in the western arctic will do no good. They argue that the approval of the Willow project would immediately contradict a campaign promise the president made in 2020. During the election, President Biden promised an end to new oil drilling, which was carried out in an executive order upon his election into office. Activists argue that the Willow project goes against what the president had already promised.

The Biden administration, however, argues that they would have been unable to ultimately disregard the project due to resistance from the courts. The administration did, however, significantly cut down the original plans for the Willow project to make it more environmentally viable. The project will have three oil drilling pads instead of the original five and will cover 68,000 fewer acres of land than originally proposed by ConocoPhillips. Furthermore, on the 13th, Biden made the Arctic Ocean off limits for future oil endeavors and will announce the protection of 13 million acres of land in Alaska, newly safeguarded from future development. These new protections will be put in place in order to ensure a safe environment for species whose habitats are currently being destroyed.

The Willow project remains and will remain a controversial topic for a long time. Climate activists and politicians remain on the edge of their seats as we await future plans for the project and the environment.

References 

Climate Impacts in Alaska | Climate Change Impacts | US EPA. https://climatechange.chicago.gov/climate-impacts/climate-impacts-alaska#:~:text=The%20thickness%20and%20age%20of,late%20summer%20by%20the%202030s. Accessed 14 Mar. 2023.

Nilsen, Ella. “Biden Administration Approves Controversial Willow Oil Project in Alaska, Which Has Galvanized Online Activism | CNN Politics.” CNN, 13 Mar. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/13/politics/willow-project-alaska-oil-biden-approval-climate/index.html.

“What to Know about the Controversial Willow Oil Drilling Project in Alaska | CNN Politics.” CNN, 7 Mar. 2023, https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/07/politics/willow-project-alaska-oil-explained-climate/index.html.

Press, The Associated. “What’s the Willow Project? An Explainer on the Battle over the Major Alaska Oil Proposal.” Alaska Public Media, 4 Mar. 2023, https://alaskapublic.org/2023/03/03/biden-faces-dilemma-in-fight-over-large-alaska-oil-project/.“What Is the Willow Project in Alaska, and Why Do Green Activists Oppose It?” VOA, 13 Mar. 2023, https://www.voanews.com/a/what-is-the-willow-project-in-alaska-and-why-do-green-activists-oppose-it/7002583.html.