The Willow project is something I wanted to write on because it is a very recent development and I am interested in the conversation around it. The main debate is between fossil fuel advocates who preach economic growth and energy independence and environmental and indigenous groups that cite the ecological and global harm unearthing all of this oil will cause. I am on the environmentalists side of this issue (big shocker), I do not believe that the future of US energy lies with 600 million barrels of new oil, and instead rests in the hands of renewable energy that won’t poison the atmosphere and accelerate warming processes.
I felt that while writing this draft I was leaning towards an essay style and less of an informal OP-ED style. For anyone who reads this let me know what I need to add/change/remove. This draft feels very rough so I imagine theres a lot that can be picked apart, but I enjoyed writing and learning more about this topic.
Willow is an Economic Blunder
I’m sure at this point we have all heard of the Willow project. Greenlit by the Trump administration and now passed by Biden the project is seemingly on track to start drilling in the Arctic on land that holds up to 600 million barrels of oil. But the project and Biden administration are receiving heavy backlash from indigenous and environmental groups as well as everyday citizens because of the ecological, environmental and global implications of unearthing and burning all that oil.
Proponents of the Willow project have three main points. One, the project will create new union jobs that pay well. Two, the project will lessen the US’s dependence on foreign energy suppliers. And three, the US will have more energy independence than ever before. These points are supported by a wide variety of individuals, from Alaskan politicians to some Alaskan indigenous groups who want the financial gains and self determinism they will achieve from drilling the land. For those in favor of Willow, the financial gains outweigh the environmental and global risk of releasing 9.2 million metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. As long as we have job security now, nothing else matters down the line.
For those that think critically about global systems and sustainable development, the Willow project is a gaunt reminder of the corporate-political processes that go on behind the scenes to ensure oil executives get their bonuses. The Willow project is an exploitation of “public” land. Indigenous groups have first claim to the land, but their voices are only elevated into mainstream media when they are in support of the extractive processes, a form of marginalization that makes the debate seem inclusive when in reality there is only a subsection of indigenous groups that support Willow.
If indigenous claims to the land are not being recognized then what about the peoples claim to the “public” land? Don’t I have the same rights as ConocoPhillips as a US citizen to use Alaska’s North Slope as I see fit? Allowing Conoco to drill in Alaska is the US government disenfranchising the rights of its citizens by handing over public land that we are all supposed to have a say in.
But certainly, the ends will justify the means with this project. With new jobs and oil hitting the market the US will continue to guzzle oil to our heart’s content and not be reliant on other countries to do so… right? Well as it turns out, the economic gains that proponents of Willow are promising will not be realized for many years and could potentially be much less than what is predicted. For starters, we will only start seeing the first Willow oil barrels hitting the market around 2028-2029, with the mining pads taking even longer to reach maximum mining capacity (Tiersten & Bittle 2023). This means that the project will most likely end up costing Alaska millions before they start to see any returns on the investment, and with the continued development of renewable energy sources those returns will only diminish as 2028 approaches. On top of all of this, the closest domestic buyers of Willow petroleum are Washington, Oregon, and California, three states that are actively making strides to bolster their renewable energy portfolios and move away from fossil fuels.
Along with being economically ambiguous, the type of oil that Willow produces will need to be mixed with imported oil to make it usable in industry and everyday applications. The idea that Willow will usher in a new age of US energy independence is far from reality, it will increase Alaska oil production by a third but we will still be reliant on foreign oil supplies to make our oil usable.
I am not in favor of the Willow drilling project. I think that it is a rash decision that discounts future generations livelihoods for economic gain now. There are many reasons that one can be for or against Willow. But when the path that the rest of the country and world is taking is towards renewable energy and away from fossil, this project seems like an outdated way to obtain energy independence and economic growth.
