Biden Administration Approves the Controversial Willow Oil Project in Alaska

For months, climate activists and creators have spearheaded the #StopWillowProject movement on TikTok, helping the campaign’s hashtag gain tens of millions of views. But what exactly is the Willow project, and what is the mission behind the movement to stop it?

The #StopWillow movement started in response to President Biden and his administration’s continued advancement of crude oil producer ConocoPhillips’s latest drilling plan proposal. On Monday, March 13, the administration approved the controversial project. According to CNN, the plan — known as Willow — proposes five new oil drilling sites on federal land in Alaska’s North Slope region. ConocoPhillips, the largest crude oil producer in Alaska, claims that the project will create thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in revenue for the federal government. But opponents warn that the environmental impacts are grave.

The Biden administration’s environmental review, as reported by The Washington Post, shows that the approval of the Willow project will generate 9.2 million metric tons of planet-warming carbon dioxide each year. CNN estimates that, over its suggested 30-year plan, this will total between 278 million and 284 million metric tons of carbon dioxide.

“We are too late in the climate crisis to approve massive oil and gas projects that directly undermine the new clean economy that the Biden Administration committed to advancing,” Earthjustice President Abigail Dillen said in a statement to CNN on Monday. “We know President Biden understands the existential threat of climate, but he is approving a project that derails his own climate goals.”

Biden has approved the Willow project. How can I continue to support #StopWillow and the climate justice movement?

The fight for climate justice isn’t over.

“Willow will lock in Arctic oil and gas extraction for another 30 years and catalyze future oil expansion in the Arctic. While out-of-state executives take in record profits, local residents are left to contend with the detrimental impacts of being surrounded by massive drilling operations,” Sonny Ahk, Iñuipat activist and author of the largest #StopWillow petition on Change.org, said in a statement. “There’s no environmental protection law that’s worth the environmental damage of the Willow Project. We must advocate for a Just Transition that prioritizes renewable energy and a national shift away from the fossil fuel industry.”

Ahk, the Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic — an Indigenous grassroots organization that’s been working for years to shut down the Willow project — and other opponents plan to challenge Biden’s approval in court. “As we’re preparing to challenge this decision in court, it is imperative that we keep Willow as part of the national conversation,” Ahk wrote in an update on Change.org. Show support for the fight and sign here to get the petition to 4 million signatures.

You can share the petition on social media and take action on TikTok by amplifying the voices of climate activists who are fighting to #StopWillow.

Lastly, while it may not directly impact this legislation, you can also make an impact on future issues like this by voting for candidates in local and national elections who are committed to protecting our planet and fighting for environmental justice. The 2024 elections — the next presidential election in the United States — are rapidly approaching, but local and statewide elections take place every year. Check your voter registration or register to vote in the next election here.

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