The Willow Project

Earlier this year on March 13, President Biden’s Bureau of Land Management gave approval to one of America’s largest oil developments, the ConocoPhillips’ Willow project. 

The Willow Project is an extensive oil drilling venture in the National Petroleum Reserve on Alaska’s North Slope. The project will not only affect Alaska locals but the world as we know it. Alaska’s Indigenous locals will be at loss and Arctic Wild life like Polar Bears and Caribou are at an extensive risk to be affected by the drilling. The project itself would have enough to generate oil of such large amount that 9.2 million tons of carbon pollution a year would be emitted into the air quickly setting back any progress we’ve ever had on battling climate change.

So if the environmental issues appear to be more negative then what reason does the Biden Administration have to justify this approval? The Willow Project is said to have the potential to open thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of permanent jobs for society. Federal governments and state governments will definitely benefit as they will see an increased income and a decrease in global oil prices. So, there are profits and drawbacks to this 6 billion dollar project but there are legal challenges that it must overcome before the administration can begin drilling right away. Several environmental groups have spoken up and are now fighting in petitions and speaking opposing this approval.

The effects of this drilling will be long and will be seen throughout the years even here at Montclair High School. Global warming will rise and the graduating classes will experience this and see the difference from their earlier school years to their last.