Calla Braiker, Class IV
Photo Credit: The Guardian (Bryan Olin Dozier)
If you were online at any point in early March, you have heard of the infamous Willow Project. Approved by the Biden administration on March 13, 2023, the Willow Project quickly rose to infamy among younger generations. This oil drilling project became a source of outrage immediately after it was proposed – over a million letters were written to the White House in protest, and this Change.org petition amassed over 5 million signatures. But what does the Willow Project actually entail, and why has it incited so much anger?
ConocoPhillips, Alaska’s largest crude oil producer and the company behind the project, will begin drilling in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, where it is currently the only company with ongoing projects. The specific area where the project’s drilling will take place holds 600 million barrels of oil, which would take years to reach the market after construction.
The project itself is massive, sometimes being described as a “carbon bomb.” It would release 9.2 million metric tons of carbon each year, causing irreversible damage to our environment. According to CNN, this amount is “equivalent to adding 2 million gas-powered cars to the roads.” Many environmental justice advocacy groups are worried about the disruption the project could potentially cause among the local wildlife, and Alaskan Natives are worried about the health impacts among nearby settlements.
However, the Willow Project is by no means brand new. It was initially proposed and approved by the Trump administration in 2020. However, progress on the project was stopped after a federal district court in Alaska found that the project’s environmental impact statement was “legally inadequate” and vacated its permits, according to Stanford.edu. The proposal was then revived under the Biden administration, who ended up reducing the amount of drilling pads ConocoPhillips could use from five to three, but overall made little revisions and eventually approved it. The administration felt that their hands were tied, as they legally could not make drastic changes to the project’s outline and risked getting sued if they rejected it.
Unfortunately, although approving the project got the Biden administration out of trouble with ConocoPhillips, it led to a nationwide uproar. Alaskans are worried about the effects on the ecosystem and the health of those near the construction site. Climate activist groups immediately sprang into action, with environmental law group Earthjustice and the law firm Trustees for Alaska filing complaints against several branches of the administration. These lawsuits can win an injunction, an order that would restrict construction from moving forward for up to a year.
The project also received a notable reaction from younger generations, especially Gen Z. The #StopWillow movement began popping up everywhere across TikTok and petitions started circling, anything that the average teenager could do to add to the resistance against the project. But why did the project engage so many people? The answer, of course, varies depending on the individual. However, many teenagers and young adults are worried about the world we are set to inherit. To many, the project represents the true beginning of the deep descent into climate disaster, a disaster that will be left solely to our generation to deal with. Ashiyana Chander, one of the leaders of the TBLS Eco Club, stated “For our generation, we’re starting to see the change. The subways are flooding, the temperature and the weather…is very unpredictable.”
Overall, despite its ability to bring in more jobs for Alaskans and to make the country wealthier, the Willow Project is widely recognized as a symbol of America’s uncaringness towards our environment. It has caused nationwide protests and retaliation. Although it feels as though we have no say in what happens to our environment, it remains vital to stay informed and take action whenever, and however, you can.