You may have heard of the “Willow Project,” but what does it really mean? The Willow Project is a massive oil drilling project on the North Slope of Alaska. Many Americans are angry that the Biden administration approved the massive oil drilling project. This was despite a petition with three million signatures opposing the project.
This project will be devastating to many Americans who had hoped that the Biden administration would make efforts to help with the global warming crisis. The area where the project will occur has 600 million barrels of oil. ConocoPhillips is the energy company which is in charge of the exploration of this project. The project has already had approval from the Trump administration in the year 2020.
Therefore, the Biden administration feels that their hands are tied. They cannot completely deny the project unless they want to face fines and even possible lawsuits from ConocoPhillips. The project has been approved, but environmental groups have not given up trying to stop it and will file lawsuits that could delay construction for years. Earth Justice groups have argued that the planetary effects that would follow the project make it illegal.
Alaska Natives are also against the project. They are concerned with the potential environmental and health impacts that could be caused by the project. The project also violates Biden’s campaign pledge to “end new oil and gas drilling on public lands.”
The project is detrimental to global warming efforts because it would “produce enough oil to release 9.2 million tons of planet-warming carbon pollution annually,” according to CNN. This project has been described as a “carbon bomb” and it is a threat to the safety and health of our planet.