Biden administration approves controversial Willow drilling project in Alaska

The Biden administration approved a massive new oil drilling project in Alaska over objections from environmentalists who said approving the plan would violate the president’s climate goals.

It comes a day after the administration said it was blocking or restricting drilling elsewhere in the state.

The government on Monday approved a smaller version of the so-called Willow project, which means energy company ConocoPhillips can go ahead with its plans to drill in the National Oil Reserve, located on the state’s North Slope. The company says the project can produce 180,000 barrels of oil per day.

Supporters speculate that the Willow project will lower oil prices and bolster national security, but Monday’s announcement drew the ire of environmentalists, who have called the proposal a “coal bomb” and argue it could exacerbate climate change, damage biodiversity and slow down the transition to cleaner fuels.

“We are too late with the climate crisis to approve massive oil and gas projects that directly undermine the new clean economy that the Biden administration has committed to promoting,” said Abigail Dillen, president of the Earthjustice group.

The controversial project has become a buzzword for young climate activists, and millions of people have sent letters to the White House arguing that the decision runs counter to the first-term Democrat’s climate promises.

“We know that President Biden understands the existential climate threat, but he is endorsing a project that frustrates his own climate goals,” Dillen added.

In Alaska, the Willow project received widespread support from federal and state legislators, labor unions, and Alaska Native leaders, many of whom touted the opportunity to create new jobs and increase income.

“We did it, Alaska!” said Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, who supported the project. “What a huge and necessary victory for all of Alaska. This project will bring long-term economic and safety benefits to our state and nation.”

The project will include more than 200 wells spread across three drilling sites and miles of pipelines and roads.

Ryan Lance, chairman and CEO of ConocoPhillips, welcomed the Biden administration’s approval.

“Willow is in line with the Biden administration’s environmental and social justice priorities by promoting energy transfer and improving our energy security while creating good union jobs and benefiting Alaska Native communities,” Lance said.

ConocoPhillips said the project could generate up to $17 billion in new revenue for federal, state and local governments. The company also said it will create 2,500 construction jobs and about 300 permanent jobs.

A government announcement Sunday blocked drilling on about 3 million acres of the Beaufort Sea and restricted drilling of another 13 million acres in the Alaska National Oil Reserve.

Environmentalists said over the weekend that the compromise to move the massive Willow oil project forward and protect up to 16 million acres of land in the Arctic is not worth it.

“This unprecedented protection of Alaska’s landscapes and waters is the right decision at the right time, and we thank the Biden administration for taking this important step,” Athan Manuel, director of the Sierra Club’s land protection program, said Sunday.

“However, the benefits of these protections can be revoked as quickly as the approval of oil and gas projects on public lands, and right now, no proposal poses a greater threat to lands, wildlife, communities and our climate than the ConocoPhillips Willow project. ” added Manuel.

The Associated Press provided the report.

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