The Biden Administration Approves the Willow Project

The expansive and highly-contested plan for the extraction of oil and gas, otherwise known as the Willow Project, has experienced massive blowback from politicians, activists and concerned citizens alike. The drilling plan was proposed by ConocoPhillips, a colossal, multinational oil and gas corporation. President Biden issued the project’s approval on March 13 despite extensive protests from the public. 

The oil and gas drilling venture will be located on the Alaskan National Petroleum Reserve, the largest stretch of undisturbed public land in the country. The 23 million-acre reserve is situated on Alaska’s North Slope and is a critical refuge for both arctic wildlife and the native Inupiat communities that reside along its border. 

ConocoPhillips’ original plan proposed five drilling sites, which were to be supported by considerable transport infrastructure. The Federal Bureau for Land Management recently conducted an environmental review of the plan. Their review scaled the project down to three drilling sites, diminishing the need for disruptive transport service development. 

Even with these technical curtailments, the Biden administration’s approval will enable ConocoPhillips to extract 90 percent of the oil they are pursuing. This will release an estimated 9.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. 

Proponents of the drilling plan are quick to point out the economic potential of the robust drilling endeavor. The project is estimated to generate $17 billion in profit, potentially benefiting local communities. 

All arguments in favor of drilling focus on the immediate economic benefits of the project, whether that be in the form of direct revenue or job generation. Proponents fail to acknowledge the environmental, sociopolitical and legal implications of endorsing a multi-billion-dollar, decades-long fossil fuel extraction project.

The potential environmental effect of the plan is a major point of contention. The drilling would produce 278 million tons of greenhouse gases over the course of thirty years. Such a massive greenhouse gas output would offset all federal emission-reducing initiatives. This would undermine national efforts to combat the climate crisis, thus setting a dangerous political and legal precedent for establishing future oil and gas extraction projects.

The tundra region, which is where the project will take place, is already at the forefront of the climate crisis. ConocoPhillips has admitted that they would have to refreeze the region’s permafrost in order to commence infrastructure development. Multiple politicians and federal agencies, including former Vice President Al Gore and the Department of Interior, have expressed concern about the project’s impact on the climate and local indigenous communities. 

Many of these communities are incredibly remote and rely on hunting caribou for food. The proposed development plans threaten to disturb native wildlife species, thus endangering the subsidence lifestyle of the indigenous villages that border the reserve.

Biden’s approval of the project flies in the face of his campaign promise to end the establishment of new oil and gas drilling projects. The POTUS administration maintains that its hands were legally tied due to ConocoPhillips’ existing leases in the region. Despite these arguments, many have expressed outrage and disappointment over the decision.