Joe Biden approved Willow, a huge oil drilling project to be carried out in the North Slope region of Alaska. This initiative has the support of state legislators from both parties. Prospecting will be carried out on land owned by the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
This Monday, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), part of the Department of the Interior (DOI), made the approval of Willow public. The project will eventually have three oil rigs instead of two, something the Biden administration considered in recent days.
ConocoPhillips, the energy company in charge of carrying out this project, assured that Willow will generate economic benefits of $8.7 billion per year. It also stated that 2,800 jobs will be created, of which 300 will be permanent. Willow will have the capacity to store 600 million barrels of oil and will produce a maximum of 180,000 barrels per day.
Environmentalists attack Biden
Several environmental organizations opposed Willow from the outset. Greenpeace attacked Biden for a "betrayal to the planet and people."
BREAKING: The Planet
Despite massive disapproval, @POTUS lights the fuse and approves the #WillowProject Carbon Bomb. There is no walking back this betrayal to our planet & people.
The climate crisis does not compromise. We need leaders who are serious about climate action. pic.twitter.com/bxmry7oJGO
— Greenpeace USA (@greenpeaceusa) March 13, 2023
On the other hand, the Earthjustice organization said:
BREAKING: The Biden Administration has just approved ConocoPhillips's Willow oil project, ignoring pleas from millions who called for the Alaska oil-drilling plan to be halted due to concerns about climate change. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/RNoEQmMC2M
— Earthjustice (@Earthjustice) March 13, 2023
