Recently, a proposal called the Willow Project was approved by the Biden Administration. Initially proposed by ConocoPhillips, this $6 billion plan aims to drill oil in the North Slope of Alaska, specifically on the 23-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve north of the Arctic Circle. 

 In 2020, the Trump Administration advanced the Willow master development plan, receiving much backlash from environmentalists. Three years later, nothing has changed. 

The Willow Project is anticipated to be the largest new oil development in the United States.

The benefits of this project are an estimated 600 million barrels of oil for the United States (nearly 1.5 times the current supply in the United State Reserve), $17 billion in revenue for federal, state and local governments and the creation of 3,000 new jobs. In addition to this, the domestic production of oil can act as a replacement for foreign oil, reducing transportation costs. 

The Biden administration states oil prices will reduce with increased oil production. Many Willow advocates, including Alaska lawmakers, argue that the Willow Project will allow for a cleaner way to produce fossil fuels compared to purchasing from foreign countries. 

Many United States citizens, including those native to Alaska, oppose the Willow Project, explaining that they are concerned about the health and environmental impact of the major oil development. 

The Biden administration estimates that the Willow Project would generate enough oil to release 9.2 million metric tons of carbon pollution into the atmosphere annually. This is equivalent to adding 2 million gas-powered cars to the roads. 

Online there are many pushes against the Willow Project. A change.org petition online against it garnered more than 3.1 million signatures as of now. Hashtags such as #stopwillow and 

#stopthewillowproject have appeared in TikTok’s top 10 trending lists, higher than a majority of celebrity trends. 

As climate activists and U.S. lawmakers continue to go back and forth on the Willow Project, only time will tell how the plan will impact the daily lives of not only United States citizens, but the daily lives of people all over the world.