Joe Biden under pressure from NGOs over America's biggest oil project

The area planned for the Willow oil project is the largest stretch of undisturbed public land in the United States, here in a photo provided by ConocoPhillips in 2019. © ConocoPhillips / via AP

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

The American administration must decide on the fate of an important oil project in Alaska: the Willow project.

It was initially approved under Donald Trump, before being temporarily halted in 2021 by a judge.

Environmental associations are campaigning for the project not to succeed.

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One of current US President Joe Biden's campaign promises was not to allow new oil and gas drilling projects on federal lands.

Given that

posed by global warming, and taken many

, allowing this oil exploitation would be seen by many as a betrayal.

Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said Friday, March 11 that the Interior Department's decision would be " 

 ."

So environmental groups have increased the pressure this week against the Willow project: it could become the largest oil exploitation project in the United States, with an expected production of 600 million barrels of crude over a period of 30 years.

280 million tons of carbon emissions

Willow would be located inside the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, a 23 million acre (93 million hectare) area on the state's northern slope that is the largest tract of undisturbed public land. in the USA.

We are talking about the burning of oil which could release nearly 280 million tonnes of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.

That means 9.2 million tons of carbon pollution per year.

It's as if, every year, for 30 years, nearly two million cars were added to the roads.

The area planned for the Willow Petroleum Project is the largest stretch of undisturbed public land in the United States.

Associated Press

Alaska has warmed twice as fast as the rest of the United States

The defenders of the project see it as a source of jobs, which contributes to the energy independence of the United States.

For some, the project is an inevitable step in a period of transition to other energy sources.

For environmental associations, it is a real “ 

 ”: they believe it is incomprehensible that a president who wants to fight against climate change can approve the Willow project.

Especially since

as the rest of the United States in 60 years and temperatures are expected to continue to rise by an average of 4° Fahrenheit (or about 3° C) for the next 30 years, which will accelerate the thawing of the frozen arctic tundra around the drilling platforms.

A decision on #Willow could be made any day now!

Act now and tell @potus to fulfill his climate promises and stop the Willow Project, AKA the largest proposed oil&gas "Carbon Bomb" threatening Alaska's North Slope and the Western Arctic.

#StopWillowhttps://t.co/LhaTAN17Sc pic.twitter.com/TPViLpAbSB

— Greenpeace USA (@greenpeaceusa) March 6, 2023

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