What is the Willow Project?

News | Nithya Kunta | March 16th, 2023.

The Willow Project is a large oil drilling project on Alaska’s North Slope within the National Petroleum Reserve, an area owned by the US federal government. This area holds 600 million barrels of oil. The project is owned by ConocoPhillips, a Houston-based energy company that has been exploring and drilling oil in Alaska for years. In fact, it is the only company with oil drilling operations in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve. The Willow Project was initially proposed and approved by the Trump administration in 2020.

Two days ago, the Biden administration approved the $8 billion Willow Project. According to government sources, the administration was constrained because Conoco has existing and valid leases in the area. Legally, courts wouldn’t have allowed them to fully reject or exceedingly reduce the project. If they did take action or refuse a permit, the government could have faced fines and lawsuits costing as much as $5 billion. Approving the Willow Project breaks a campaign promise Biden made in 2020 to end new oil and gas drilling on public lands and waters. This decision regarding oil is significant, especially because it is one of the few oil projects that Biden has approved freely without a court order or congressional mandate.

Willow is controversial because of its heavy environmental costs. Based on reports, the project would generate enough oil to release 280 million metric tons of carbon emissions in total, or 9.2 million a year. This is equivalent to adding 2 million gas-powered cars to the roads. Additionally, construction and drilling could worsen the warming of the Arctic, destroy habitats for native species, and change the migration patterns of many animals.

There have been some proposals to minimize the consequences of the project. While the project was initially going to construct 5 drill pads, the Biden administration reduced it to 3. However, 3 pads will still allow the company to drill 90% of the oil they are pursuing. ConocoPhillips agreed to return 68,000 acres of land, the Biden administration will provide new protections for Teshekpuk Lake and designate 2.8 million acres as off-limit for future use, and the Interior Department plans to block oil and gas leases on 13 million acres of the 23 million acre reserve. Unfortunately, all of these measures could be revoked by future administrations.

The nation’s response to Biden’s decisions varies. There was notably a rise in online activism against the Willow Project, including 1 million letters to the White House and a Change.org petition with almost 4 million signatures. An environmental law group known as Earthjustice will file complaints and try to block it from moving forward. They argue that taking steps to reduce planet-warming carbon pollutants is under the administration’s authority to protect surface resources on Alaska’s public lands. In addition, Alaskan Natives living close to the area are concerned about the health and environmental impacts of a major oil project. On the other hand, Alaska’s lawmakers argue the Willow project will create jobs, boost domestic energy production, and reduce the country’s reliance on foreign oil. A coalition of Alaskan Native groups on the North Slope also says the project could bring in revenue to fund education and healthcare.