The current environmental news has been circling a single venture: The Willow Project. The area where this project is planned is estimated to hold up to 600 million barrels of oil, a project approved by Alaska’s congressional delegation and Alaskan natives who believe the drilling can create needed revenue and jobs for remote communities in Alaska. Oil is one of the most prized resources, with a high heat of combustion, with fracking and drilling being simple and profitable, and easily convertible to energy. Oil has been the source of several conflicts and environmental destruction all across the planet, and many problems have already been associated with the project. An estimated 9.2 million metric tons of carbon pollution a year will be released by this project, causing disapproval and dissent against Biden after his decision to approve the project. Oil fracking and drilling also present many other environmental problems, separate from the resources needed to extract the oil out of the ground and ocean and from the amounts of greenhouse gasses that will be emitted from the use of these fossil fuels on a regular basis. Oil fracking and drilling lead to oil spills throughout the oceans and land, harming many species that are already endangered in the Alaskan tundras, especially considering climate change has already degraded many vital ecosystems in these areas, with this project only inflaming the problem. Along with that, oil fracking and drilling can disrupt migratory pathways and destroy natural habitats. More than one million letters have been written to the White House in protest, along with a petition that has gained millions of signatures, with the full force of environmental law groups, such as Earthjustice, rallying against the government in preparing cases against the project.
Many have questioned Biden’s actions in approving this project, especially considering his promise during candidacy that there would be “No more drilling on federal lands, period. Period, period, period,” while the Willow Project will be tapping into and exploiting the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. So, why did Biden approve The Willow Project? The Biden administration decided against fighting the company behind the Willow Project, ConocoPhillips. If the Biden administration refused the permit ConocoPhillips needed in order to drill, the lawsuit against the government would include compensation for investments and the profits of drilling: reaching numbers up to $5 billion. Along with that, with the restriction on Russian oil supplies after the Ukrainian invasion, gasoline prices have spiked worldwide. Therefore, pumping more oil is a solution to many of the problems plaguing Americans nationwide that are being forced to buy oil at higher prices.
However, there are some wins for the environmental community following this decision. The original five drilling pads approved have been decreased to three drilling pads which will cause significantly less environmental harm than the previously planned numbers. This will cause the final project to cover 68,000 fewer acres than originally planned. Additionally, Biden intends to designate about 2.8 million acres in the Arctic Ocean as off-limits for future oil and gas leasing, and plans to block leases on about 13 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.
This issue not only brings into question the future of our planet but also the reliability and effects of fossil fuels. Though Biden could not stop the Willow Project from going into motion, some efforts were made to protect the environment and lower the amount of oil fracked. On the subject of dwindling fossil fuels, a higher reliance on renewable resources and non-exploitive energy is needed. If fracking and drilling for oil continue, there are about 50 years left until oil resources are drained. Therefore, though the Willow Project does cause job and economic increases for the people of Alaska now, the planet’s well-being and economy will eventually be compromised, and a switch to renewable energy is imperative to save our planet.