Edited 4/27/23

The Biden administration has approved an $8 billion oil-drilling project in Alaska. The Willow Project has had strong opposition, even from the president himself, in the past. Environmentalists and some Alaskan natives strongly oppose this project and are concerned about the climate breakdown this will cause.

Other Alaskan natives are rejoicing at the approval of the project because it will help create new jobs, increase state revenue and improve quality of life. However, we fear the quality of life of our future hangs in the balance.

This project will greatly set back all the progress the U.S. has made trying to turn towards more renewable and green resources. Giving more oil to the nation with the second highest greenhouse gas emissions is like giving a lighter to someone that’s trying to quit smoking.

It would produce a peak of 180,000 barrels of crude oil a day. Alaskan natives have also voiced fears about the effect the drilling will have on the environment and wildlife.

Biden signed off on this a day after he said he would bar or severely limit drilling in the area. Who changed his mind and what convincing matters were so effective in the process of getting this approved?

The project was rejected in the previous administration, but has surprisingly now been passed in a Democratic-ruled Congress. The Biden administration has made minor changes to the bill to appease environmentalists, but no bill-tweaking can make us lose sight of the problem at hand.

The now-approved Willow Project has been in the planning process for 30 years. The disapproval it faced over that period of time was just a ploy because there is no way something being planned for 30 years would not eventually take effect.

Conservation groups have decided to file a lawsuit to stop this project because it does not take the already climate-sensitive wildlife into consideration, including threatened polar bears and other issues.

This project goes against any and every single ‘truth’ that Biden voiced across a whole nation, using events and panels to portray his action plans regarding the steps to clean, renewable energy.

The Willow Project puts the U.S. a step away from being dependent on importing oil supply from overseas and will possibly alleviate high prices on oil products. However, it will also tighten the grip of oil dependency for everyday life, which will only make it more difficult to move towards alternative fuels and materials.

The project is a product of bygone days and does not have a place in a reality where we are already starting to see the effects of climate change. The preservation of wildlife and the environment is not regarded and the only ones who will prosper at the end of the day are the investors.