'Willow Project' contradicts  Biden's plan on Climate Change

Posted May 4, 2023

By Daila Galicia Zuniga and Jayden Starr

Cub Investigative Reporters

The Biden Administration approved the development of the Willow Project on March 13, an oil extraction project in Northern Alaska that many say goes against President Biden's original goals against climate change.

Through a Record of Decision made by the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Biden Administration made the decision of approving the Willow Project, a day after it announced a regulation to prohibit oil mining in U.S. territories near the Arctic Ocean. According to The Washington Post, ConocoPhillips, the company behind Willow, has had a lease for the region since the late 1990s given by past administrations, which limited the decision for the administration.

“This was the right decision for Alaska and our nation,” chief executive of ConocoPhillips Ryan Lance, stated to The Washington Post. “Willow fits within the Biden Administration’s priorities on environmental and social justice, facilitating the energy transition and enhancing our energy security, all while creating good union jobs and providing benefits to Alaskan Native communities.” 

In the Decision document, the Willow Project, which will be located in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) in the Alaska North Slope, would include three drilling sites instead of the five sites originally proposed, a processing facility, an operations center, and an airstrip. The drilling project would span 499 acres of federally protected land. ConocoPhillips estimates 180,000 barrels of oil a day can be produced at peak production, which could also bring in $8-$13 billion in tax revenue for varying government levels. 

The New York Times reported that if Biden had denied the development of the project, the administration would have triggered a lawsuit that could cost them up to $5 billion. 

Alaska’s economy is heavily dependent on oil extraction. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), Alaska has the fourth largest crude oil reserves in the world, with 95% of production residing in the North Slope of Alaska. In recent years, however, it has seen a steady decline in production since the 1980s. 

“[Domestic oil projects like Willow allow] Americans’ gas prices low and reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil,” reported CNN.

The Washington Post reported that the White House put out protection for 16 million acres of land and water that resides in Alaska, which consists of the Arctic Ocean, which is off-limits to U.S. oil and gas leasing and regulations to protect the NPR-A. The protection that was set up will extend to the Teshekpuk Lake, Utukok Uplands, Colville River, Kasegaluk Lagoon, and Peard Bay areas, all places that are important habitats for wildlife, including bears, caribou, and migratory birds. 

When the project was approved, CNN reported that environmental groups, who were upset with Biden for approving the project, were willing to stop Willow through lawsuits and other legal actions. The environmental groups mentioned that the protections set up for surrounding Arctic regions were not going to prevent the damage caused by the project and would continue to hurt indigenous communities that rely on the area. The protection measures set up for the Arctic Ocean and surrounding habitats of animals will not prevent carbon-contaminated air from harming surrounding villages and wildlife. 

“[Other] villages get financial benefits from oil and gas activity but experience far fewer impacts than Nuiqsut,” Nuiqsut Mayor Rosemary Ahtuangaruak and two other city and tribal officials wrote to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. “We are at ground zero for the industrialization of the Arctic.”

“I don't think the Willow Project is itself a tipping point in the climate crisis, but it is just more evidence that the inertia of our entrenched, carbon-dependent energy strategy is still in place,” said David Douglas Sustainability Teacher Eric Kellon. “We need more people, governments, and businesses to work together urgently to move away from carbon-based energy as quickly as possible.”

One of Biden’s presidential goals towards environmental justice is to protect communities of color that are harmed by fossil fuel companies and polluters. The president’s website writes that, “The Biden Administration will take action against fossil fuel companies and other polluters who put profit over people and knowingly harm our environment and poison our communities' air, land, and water, or conceal information regarding potential environmental and health risks”.