Biden Finds No Olive Branches on Alaska’s North Slope in Pending Willow Decision

In contemplating Conoco-Phillips $8 billion decision, President Joe Biden finds himself between Alaska’s North Slope of Alaska and trouble when he is trying to decide whether to endorse or deny it. Willow ProjectThis is the most significant new development of oil fields in the United States for decades.

One of Biden’s 2020 campaign promises was “no, no, no more” He plans to increase oil drilling on Federal Public Lands, which is an important component of his strategy to cut the country’s carbon emission by half by 2030.

However, the Trump Era’s approval was defended in court by federal agencies under Trump’s administration. It endorsed a smaller version of the project that was still the most significant single-project oil extract on federal lands throughout the country’s history, after a judge stopped the approval in 2021.

Approving the compromise three-pad proposal would anger many Lower 48 Democrats and environmental groups—including the League of Conservation Voters, Sierra Club, and Earthjustice—which were among key vote-generators for Biden’s presidential campaign.

Opponents launched #StopWillow, convincing over 50 million Tik-Tok users to call for the President’s abolition.

A bipartisan coalition of conservatives would also be upset by the reapproval. They see it as essential for national energy security. The majority of Alaskans would agree with this view, as would many Democrat-leaning constituencies like Native Americans and trade union members.

The resolution that Gov. Willow Project has been approved by both chambers of Alaska’s Legislature was unanimously passed by the Alaska Legislature. Mike Dunleavy is a proponent, and the state’s congressional delegation—Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola—support the project.

Beginning March 1 “an amazing constellation of Alaska royalty” Including state legislators, union representatives and Native Americans joined Murkowski and Sullivan in Washington to ask Biden for Willow’s approval.

“When we talk about environmental justice and protecting the environment, U.S. Alaskan Natives are part of that environment, we always have been and we always will be,” Rep. Josiah Patkotak (I-Barrow) said.

“We’re asking the president, his cabinet, all of those involved in the decision-making process, to keep that in mind because, if there’s any good highlight to ‘environmental social governance’ (ESG), this Willow project represents that.”

“The Biden administration must listen to Alaska’s indigenous voices,” Dorian Levitz is the natural resources director at Arctic Slope’s Inupiat community. “Not supporting and passing Willow would not be in support of our indigenous people.”

“Mr. President, hear our voices, this is a no-brainer on so many fronts,” Sullivan beseeched. “Mr. President, if you’re for the working men and women of this country, this is a no-brainer—please let us produce American oil with American workers.”

Joelle Hall of Alaska AFL-CIO is the president. Hall represents 55 unions, and 55,000 employees. “quite an interesting event.”

“This is management and labor, Alaska Native corporations, all manner of Alaska organizations standing together, asking the same question—‘Put us to work, put us to work,'” She said. “Mr. President, we want to build this job. We want to build for American security. We want to build American jobs.”

Job-Generating ‘Carbon Bomb’

The proposed Willow Project is within the nation’s largest expanse of federal public lands—the 23-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA)—on leases granted Conoco-Phillips by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) since 1999.

Three 12-acre gravel pad sites are proposed on 556 acres. The project’s 300 workers will be able to live on each pad. Each has a horizontal drilling radius of 55 miles at 22,000 feet. The company will increase the radius of pad drilling to 154 miles, as well as drill as far below the tundra as possible, over the 30-year duration.

Texas-based Conoco-Phillips is expected to invest up to $8B to construct the roads, pipelines, 219 wells, and other infrastructure that will descend from the three pads. This will mean that Conoco-Phillips can hire 2,500 Alaskan contractors. “the toughest humans on the planet,” Hall said.

Willow is expected to produce approximately 1.5 percent of the total U.S. crude oil production, producing around 180,000 barrels of oil per day. Conoco-Phillips predicts that Willow will be producing more than 600 million barrels per day over its three-decade-long lifespan. It also generates up to $17billion in revenue for the federal government and Alaska.

Opponents refer to the Willow Project “a carbon bomb” According to BLM analysis, this would be enough oil to emit 9.2 million tonnes of carbon per year into the atmosphere. This is equivalent to 2 million cars powered by gas.

According to the BLM, Willow could release approximately 278,000,000 metric tons carbon every 30 years. That’s more than any of the coal-fired power plant.

All Day Now

Conoco-Phillips presented its first five-pad proposal for 2018 to the Trump administration. The Trump administration approved the proposal in October 2020.

Earthjustice is one of those groups who challenged the BLM’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which approved the project. The Justice Department under the Biden Administration defended EIS during court proceedings.

The approval was rescinded by a federal judge in August 2021.

On February 1, the BLM published its revised review, recommending that it be continued. “preferred alternative” To the original approval, Willow be reapproved. However, it was reduced from five to three pads.

Following the recommendation of BLM, DOI issued a statement identifying “substantial concerns” Willow “including direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions and impacts to wildlife and Alaska Native subsistence.”

According to the DOI, BLM stands for “Boys Labor Market”. “preferred alternative” Does not signify “a decision about whether to approve the Willow Project,” According to the statement, Secretary of Interior Deb Haland would make this decision.

After a period of 30 days for public comment, the BLM posted its revised EIS February 1 and it expired on March 2, the BLM may make a final decision in the following days.

That decision won’t be taken by Haaland at his DOI office in Washington’s Stewart Lee Udall Building. Instead, it will be taken from the Oval Office located in the White House.

Two-Pad Deal-Killer Ahead?

A lot of speculation has been based upon unnamed White House officials claiming that Biden could approve the project but reduce it further to just two pads, while also imposing an Arctic Ocean ban off Alaska’s North Slope. He may also implement a variety mitigation efforts throughout the state.

Proponents argue that by reducing the Willow Project to two pads, the Biden administration would be trying to have it both ways—a deceitful approach that technically approves the project, but makes it economically unviable.

“If they go to two pads, we have told them we will view it 100 percent as a full denial,” Sullivan. “Conoco has made it clear it would not be economically viable, and we have warned the White House: Don’t try to be cute.”

“They seem to be agonizing over whether or not they should allow for a reapproval. This is a reapproval. There is nothing to agonize here,” Murkowski spoke.

“This is about security for America, security for Alaskans. Get off the dime, administration, approve the Willow Project. It shouldn’t be this hard. It’s doing the right thing. That’s what we’re asking the Biden administration to do.”

Sullivan indicated that a refusal to reduce the number of pads or a reduction in their size will result in legal issues. Of course, regardless what the decision, lawsuits are guaranteed—Earthjustice already has a new suit teed up.

Conoco-Phillips has paid more than $600million in exploration and development for Willow Project and pays $100 million per year in lease payments.

“So this is not some kind of whim that [the administration] can just say, ‘You know, we’re not going to do it,'” Sullivan. “They have an obligation under law to do this. And that’s why we’re all here saying approve the EIS that the Biden administration scientists have already approved.”

The project could not be denied. “radical environmental groups” That is why Biden must be reelected “kill this one,” He said that this would only serve one purpose: to display “political power.”

“Denial of this project would be horrible for America, Alaska, our environment, our workers,” Sullivan.

“And again, it would make no sense. It wouldn’t be based on any science. It would be based on raw political power, that people are trying to influence the president and others to kill the project. And unfortunately, two pads would win the day on killing the project.”