By Gisela Alvizures 
What is the Willow Project?
On March 13, 2023, the Biden administration approved ConocoPhillips’ Willow oil drilling project on Alaska’s North Slope, one of the largest oil developments on federal land. ConocoPhillips is Alaska’s largest crude oil producer, largest owner of exploration leases, and one of the world’s largest independent exploration and production companies. According to ConocoPhillips, the area holding the project is estimated to produce 180,000 barrels of oil per day which could allow the United States to decrease our dependence on foreign energy supplies. The Willow Project was initially approved by the Trump administration in 2020 to construct five drill pads, which the Biden administration has reduced to three to minimize the amount of damage from the oil drilling project. The administration estimated that the Willow Project would generate enough oil to release 9.2 million metric tons of planet-warming carbon pollution a year which is equivalent to the carbon footprint of 2 million gas-powered cars.
Who Opposes the Willow Project?
Opponents argue that President Biden failed to keep the promise he had made when the Willow Project was mentioned in a 2020 campaign event in New Hampshire. Then-presidential candidate Joe Biden made a promise to voters of “[n]o more drilling on federal lands, period.” Earthjustice, an environmental law group, will file a complaint soon in hopes of blocking the project. The possibility for an injunction against the Willow Project is feasible, especially since construction can only be done during the winter. “Although the White House and Department of Interior were not persuaded to stop Willow despite the advocacy of more than 5 million individuals, we are now using the power of the law to restore some balance. While this particular round of the legal challenge did not produce the outcome we had hoped for, our court battle continues,” said Erik Grafe, Deputy Managing Attorney in Earthjustice’s Alaska Regional Office. Earthjustice is now racing against the clock to file a complaint.
Another local community opposed to the project are those closest in proximity to the proposed Willow Project: the Inupiaq, residents of Nuiqsut. The Inupiaq peoples, “have lived in the Western Arctic and Arctic Slope region for thousands of years, rely on its animals, lands and waterways for their food, health, culture and way of life.”. The Native Village of Nuiqsut is currently proceeding with a lawsuit against the Bureau of Land Management for insufficient health and environmental protections within the NPR-A. Formerly known as Naval Petroleum Reserve No.4, the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) is now approximately 23-million-acre area on Alaska’s North Slope, one of the largest public lands in the United States. In 1976, Eben Hopson, an American politician, and Inupiaq, from the state of Alaska gave testimony relating to the experience of the arctic slope Inupiaq people with oil and gas developments in the arctic saying, “I repeat. In all this, we were never consulted. After the state leased our land to the oil corporations, they moved onto our land to behave in ways that would never be permitted today.”
Who Supports the Willow Project?
Proponents of the Willow Project such as state and federal lawmakers, labor unions, and some Alaska Native leaders support the project due to the potential for new jobs and increased revenue. As Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski expressed, “We did it, Alaska! What a huge and needed victory for all Alaska. This project will produce lasting economic and security benefits for our state and the nation.” ConocoPhillips chairman and chief executive officer applauded the Biden administration’s approval. As Lance mentioned, “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 Alaska Native communities.”
The support from Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Dan Sullivan, and Representative Mary Peltola, who make up the Alaska Congressional Delegation, highlight the Willow Project’s broad support from Alaskans, the “economic benefits, national security impacts, and the world-class environmental standards of the project.” As mentioned in the full opinion from Alaska’s congressional delegation, “We all recognize the need for cleaner energy…In rural parts of our state, gasoline prices have been as high as $18 a gallon. That is crippling — both for our economy and for the practice of traditional livelihoods, which new energy supplies will only help.” These statements all show why the Willow Project is strong among state representatives and lawmakers. It has a great potential for expanding the workforce and for bringing in a new energy supply to the state.
What are Some of the Broader Implications of the Willow Project?
According to ConocoPhillips, the drilling site is estimated to gather 180,000 barrels of oil per day. Corporations believe that the Willow Project will promote economic growth with estimates of generating “$8-17 billion in revenue.” While this boost suggests a great success for our economy, some suggest that there will be a cost to our environment.
Protect Our Winters, a nonprofit that focuses its efforts on legislation regarding climate change, claims the Willow Project would lead to more greenhouse gas emissions than any other project on public land, stating that it is, “Estimated to add more than 250 million metric tons of CO2 to the atmosphere over the next 30 years – equivalent to the emissions from 66 coal fired power plants (roughly ⅓ of all U.S. coal plants) or from 56 million vehicles over an entire year.” In search of new sources of energy supply and oil, the Willow Project has the potential to cause devastating environmental consequences while providing enormous economic benefits. Proponents and opponents are split on which of these is more important.