So Much for “Supporting”: Biden Turns His Back on Alaska’s Willow Project

October 21, 2021

Alaska’s North Slope has seen its share of significant oilfields over the past fifty years, and if ConocoPhillips had its way, the Willow project would have come online in 2025 as its next one.

After ConocoPhillips secured its federal approval for the project – working through the complete NEPA process and spending years and hundreds of millions of dollars to get there – Federal Judge Sharon Gleason sided with radical environmental groups to invalidate the process and the permits. 

This came after the Trump and Biden administrations both publicly supported the project and defended the process, in response to the lawsuit filed against the federal government by the extremists.

This week, the Biden administration let the deadline for appealing Judge Gleason’s decision come and go, without intervening on the project’s behalf.  Now, the potential 160,000 barrel-a-day field that would employ hundreds of full-time workers sits in limbo, needing to completely re-do the NEPA process, and delaying the project months, if not years.

Why did the Biden administration miss the deadline?  It could have been a complete oversight.  It might have been that the mandated masks cut off the Justice Department employees’ ability to see the deadline on the calendar.  Or perhaps, just like with so many other projects that could employ Americans and further the US’ energy security, the administration decided that they’d rather listen to the voices of the eco-left and deny Americans the benefits of fossil fuel production.

Whatever the rationale, the Willow project now is effectively back to the drawing board, jobs are on hold, state and federal coffers wait for the revenues Willow will one day bring, and the eco-extremist movement celebrates.

Bad move, Biden administration.  Bad move.