WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Monday approved the controversial Willow oil project, paving the way for one of Alaska’s largest new oil and gas projects in 20 years, despite fierce opposition from environmental activists.
The move comes as Biden announced sweeping future measures to ban offshore drilling in 2.8 million acres of the Arctic Ocean, appealing to critics who say the president has betrayed his commitment to fight back. against climate change.
The $8 billion Willow project planned by Houston-based oil company ConocoPhillips represents a shift in the Biden administration’s handling of large fossil fuel projects after several projects were approved without congressional or judicial intervention. .
What is approved?
- The Willow project is targeting Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, an area of about 23 million acres in the Beaufort Sea north of the Arctic Circle, about 200 miles west of existing oil fields in Prudhoe Bay.
- The Interior Ministry approved three of the five drilling sites proposed by ConocoPhillips. Abandoning the other two reduced the original design size of 200 wells by about 40% and eliminated 11 miles of road, 20 miles of pipeline and 133 acres of gravel that would have been needed.
- The company has agreed to give up a 68,000-acre National Petroleum Reserve lease in Alaska, cutting its footprint in the reserve by a third.
- The measures will create a “buffer zone” between oil production and caribou migration routes in the region, Interior Ministry officials said.
What is Biden doing to protect the Arctic?
- Anticipating a backlash from climate activists, the Biden administration on Sunday proposed rules to ban future oil and gas leasing on more than 13 million acres of Alaska’s 23 million-acre National Petroleum Reserve.
- The rule would prohibit oil and gas leasing in areas of globally significant wildlife habitat, Interior Department officials said, including areas home to grizzly bears and polar bears, caribou and migratory birds.
- Biden’s move to indefinitely ban future offshore drilling in the Arctic Ocean adds to the Obama administration’s efforts to protect the entire Beaufort Sea.
#StopWillow climate activists blast Biden
The approval of the Willow project was quickly criticized by environmental activists, who rallied on social media with the hashtag #StopWillow to try to stop the project.
Kristen Monsell, a senior adviser at the Center for Biological Diversity, called Biden’s actions “appalling” and vowed to continue fighting to stop Willow’s innovation.
“People and wildlife will suffer, and more fossil fuel production and burning will warm the climate faster,” Monsell said. “Biden has no excuse to pursue this project in any way.”
Earthjustice president Abigail Dillen accused the Biden administration of “betraying its fundamental commitment” to halting climate change.
“ConocoPhillips’ Willow project shocks the conscience,” Dillen said. “This would open up the entire Western Arctic to drilling for many decades, destroying the fragile ecosystem and the people who depend on it.”
Mixed opinions from the fossil fuel industry
The fossil fuel industry applauded Biden for signing Willow, but criticized Arctic protections.
Frank Macchiarola, senior vice president for policy at the American Petroleum Institute, said the new offshore drilling rules send “mixed signals” about energy policy.
“By imposing these restrictions, the Interior Ministry appears to be treating its legal obligations as a bargaining chip,” Macchiarola said. He urged the Biden administration to focus on “real solutions” to deliver energy and reduce emissions.
Contributor: Associated Press
Contact Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.
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