Majority of Alaska lawmakers and natives are in support of the Willow project (Image: Oil pipeline in the interior of Alaska)|Gillfoto|CC BY-SA 4.0

President Joe Biden’s administration approved three out of the five Alaskan drilling pads Monday that the oil giant ConocoPhillips sought last year.

The Willow project in Alaska’s North Slope is expected to produce around 180,000 barrels per day for the next 30 years and contribute to 1.5% of US oil production.

The majority of Alaska lawmakers and natives support the project as it will bring in revenue and create jobs.

But
Environmental activists and some Alaskan natives oppose the project, calling Biden’s move a setback to his promised and much-touted climate goal of cutting CO2 emissions by half by 2030.

#StopWillow is trending on TikTok with over 180 million views and the White House has received more than 1 million letters opposing the Willow oil project.

Biden anticipated the backlash and to appease opposers, he declared the Arctic Ocean off limits to leasing and drilling. He further protected 13 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, including areas that provide habitat for thousands of species.