By Elizabeth Goldman
Editor-in-Chief
The Willow Project, an $8 billion, 499-acre oil drilling project on Willow, an oil reserve on
Alaska’s North Slope, was approved by the Biden Administration on March 13. The impending
negative fallout resulting from the Willow Project can be primarily attributed to the fault of major
oil drilling companies such as ConocoPhillips; however, the Biden Administration could have
done more to negotiate a less harmful agreement. Additionally, when the presidential
administration is obligated to approve something that goes against its promises and values, it is
their responsibility to facilitate an alternate plan of action to remediate any harmful effects.
Willow is located within the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), an area that
was designated specifically for oil and gas development per the 1976 Naval Petroleum
Reserves Production Act (NPRPA). This area is also a key habitat for wildlife, according to the
Washington Post. The Willow Project is planned to involve three drilling pads along with miles of
roads, pipelines, and airstrips. The new development is 40% smaller than originally planned to
mitigate environmental effects, according to npr.org, but the project is still estimated to emit over
250 million metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, per protectourwinters.org.
Indisputably, the Willow Project is hugely detrimental to the environment and will reverse
ongoing efforts to mitigate climate change. Approving a project that significantly contrbutes to
carbon emissions will inexorably worsen the climate change situation. While the Biden
Administration succeeded in negotiating a development that would lessen the Willow Project’s
environmental impact, the main culpability for the project lies on ConocoPhillips. The oil drilling
company exploited decades-old leases that were established during a time when the climate
was of little public concern. In going through with the Willow Project, ConocoPhillips ignored
public opinion and the safety of neighboring populations of Alaska natives.
Though the Biden Administration did what it felt it could do against the legal restraints it
faced, the project still greatly contributes to the ongoing climate crisis, and the administration
has offered no alternate solutions. The Biden Administration claims to support anti-climate
change efforts; however, the administration has not taken a solid initiative to diminish the effects
of climate change. When an administration is effectively forced into a situation that negates its
beliefs, it is responsible for finding alternate solutions.
The irreversible damage the Willow Project will cause to the environment far outweighs
any benefits. According to the Washington Post, the Bureau of Land Management estimates
that Willow would produce 576 million barrels of oil, generating between $8 billion and $10
billion, over the course of three decades, which would aid Alaska’s flagging economy as well as
reduce the U.S. and its allies’ reliance on oil suppliers. Additionally, cleaner options, per the
Washington Post, would only make up half of the energy demand that Willow plans to meet.
Moreover, the emissions from Willow equal just 0.03 percent of U.S. emissions, basedon 2021 data. Despite these positives, however, Willow will be greatly contributing to global emissions, which, according to earthjustice.org, need to be cut in half by 2030 to avoid the worst of the climate crisis. As the Willow Project continues, it will continue adding mass amounts of
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Though this singular project may only make up 0.03% of U.S. emissions, that figure is based on astronomically high total emissions.
Regardless of the circumstances, the responsibility to maintain their promises and
protect the environment falls in the hands of the Biden Administration, which has not yet
proposed any plan to remediate the effects of this project.
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