Willow project
Willow project | |
---|---|
Location of Willow project | |
Country | United States |
Region | Alaska North Slope |
Offshore/onshore | Onshore |
Coordinates | 70°17′N 151°55′W / 70.283°N 151.917°W |
Operator | ConocoPhillips Alaska |
Field history | |
Discovery | 2016 |
The Willow project is an oil drilling project by
Oil was discovered in the Willow prospect area west of
Alaskan lawmakers from both parties, as well as the
The project could produce up to 750 million barrels of oil and 287 million tons of
Geography and geology
The Willow project is located on the plain of the
The Willow pool is tapping oil reserves in the Nanushuk Formation.
Expected oil extraction, revenue
In 2020, it was thought that over its anticipated 30-year life, the Willow project could produce 200,000 barrels of oil per day, producing up to 600 million barrels of oil in total. According to estimates by the
In June 2021, officials at ConocoPhillips stated it had, "identified up to 3 billion barrels of oil equivalent of nearby prospects and leads with similar characteristics that could leverage the Willow infrastructure...[Willow] unlocks the West", in other words 600 times larger than Willow.[6]
In January 2024, a ConocoPhillips advertising fact sheet lowered its estimated oil production to "180,000 barrels of oil per day at its peak" and the number of permanent employees.[5]
Environmental footprint
As of 2024, Conoco was developing the project on what it calls a "385 acre gravel footprint".
History
In 1999, ConocoPhillips acquired the first Willow-area leases in the northeast portion of the
In 2016, the final year of the
In May 2018, ConocoPhillips officially requested permission to develop the Willow prospect from the BLM, to construct and operate five drill pads with 50 oil wells each for a total of 250 oil wells including access and infield roads, airstrips, pipelines, a gravel mine and a temporary island to facilitate module delivery via sealift barges.[9]
In August 2019, after a 44-day public scoping period and having consulted with 13 tribal entities and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations, the BLM published a draft master development plan.[10]
In August 2020, during the last quarter of the
In August 2021, the
In July 2022, the BLM released a draft SEIS in response to the District Court order.[7]
In August 2022, the
Government approval, 2023
On February 1, 2023, the BLM completed the final SEIS, approving the project with three drill pads with 50 oil wells each for a total of 150 oil wells.
As a final decision drew near, media attention and public interest increased dramatically, with a petition urging President Biden to "say no to the Willow Project", having been signed by more than 2.4 million people after widespread attention on TikTok.[19][20]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Wikinews-logo.svg/40px-Wikinews-logo.svg.png)
On March 13, 2023, the Biden administration approved the project.[21] Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland's name did not appear on the approval; deputy secretary Tommy Beaudreau, who acted as the point person on the project for the department, signed the final document. In response, environmental groups announced their plans to sue.[22]
Post approval
On March 14, 2023, environmentalist organization
In September 2023, Biden cancelled oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but not for the Willow project.[27]
On November 9, 2023, U.S. District Court Judge
Environmental justice
Already in its October 2020 Willow Master Development Plan the BLM had stated: "The effects on subsistence and sociocultural systems may be highly adverse and disproportionately borne by the Nuiqsut population."[4]: 16
In the final SEIS from February 2023, the BLM predicted adverse effects on public health,
The project could produce up to 600 million barrels of oil and 287 million tons of
In June 2023, Alaska regulators proposed that ConocoPhillips receive a $914,000 penalty for its handling of a “shallow underground blowout” of a nearby well in Alpine, Alaska in 2022, as gas was released uncontrollably at the surface for days across various locations.[31]
See also
References
- ^ a b c Marris, Emma (March 13, 2023). "The Alaska Oil Project Will Be Obsolete Before It's Finished". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023.
- ^ Puko, Timothy (March 17, 2023). "What is Willow? How an Alaska oil project could impact the environment". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Willow Master Development Plan Environmental Impact Statement RECORD OF DECISION" (PDF). U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management. October 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e "BLM to Release Willow Master Development Plan Final Analysis". Bureau of Land Management. August 13, 2020. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ a b c ConocoPhillips Alaska (January 1, 2024). "The Willow Project" (PDF). ConocoPhillips Alaska. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
- ^ "EDITED TRANSCRIPT ConocoPhillips 2021 Market Update" (PDF). ConocoPhillips. June 30, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ a b "Willow Fact sheet" (PDF). ConocoPhilips. January 1, 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ "Who we are – Projects". ConocoPhillips Alaska. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ "BLM seeking public input for proposed development of Willow prospect" (PDF). BLM. August 7, 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ "Proposed Willow Development Plan Available for Public Comment" (PDF). BLM. August 23, 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ Jessica Resnick-Ault (August 14, 2020). "ConocoPhillips gets U.S. green light for Alaska oil project". Reuters. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ^ Bobby Magill (August 14, 2020). "Alaska Project Would Use 'Chillers' to Freeze Thawing Tundra". Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ^ a b DOI-BLM-AK-0000-2018-0004-EIS, U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management (March 13, 2023). "Willow Master Development Plan Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement Record of Decision" (PDF). eplanning.blm.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Jenny Rowland-Shea. "4 Reasons the Willow Oil Project Is Unfit for Approval". Center for American Progress. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ "Kuukpik, Willow Project Letters of Support" (PDF). ConocoPhillips. August 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ "The Willow MDP Final Supplemental EIS". BLM. February 1, 2023. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ Peltola, Mary; Sullivan, Dan; Murkowski, Lisa (March 8, 2023). "Opinion: President Biden should reapprove the Willow Project". CNN. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
- ^ Brooks, James (February 21, 2023). "Alaska House votes unanimously to support Willow oil project". Alaska Beacon. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ^ "Biden-Backed Willow Project Is Destined for Years of Legal Wrangling". Newsweek. March 3, 2023. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- ^ Phillips, Aleks (March 3, 2023). "Stop Willow Project petition signed by 2.5M as anger grows against Biden". Newsweek. Archived from the original on March 6, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2023.
- from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ^ Nilsen, Ella (March 14, 2023). "Inside the Biden administration's fraught decision to green-light the controversial Willow Project". CNN. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
- ^ Mindock, Clark (March 15, 2023). "ConocoPhillips' Alaska Willow project approvals hit with second lawsuit". Reuters. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
- ^ Rosen, Yereth (April 21, 2023). "Appeals court denies injunction request, allowing ConocoPhillips to proceed with Willow work". Arctic Today. Alaska Beacon. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
- ^ "21-year-old interrupts White House press secretary's speech at event". CNN. August 2, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ Ximena Bustillo (September 6, 2023). "Biden ends drilling in ANWR, sparking criticism, as Willow Project moves forward". NPR. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
- ^ "Judge in Alaska upholds Biden administration's approval of the massive Willow oil-drilling project". AP News. November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ "Alaska District Court Rules Willow Oil Project Can Proceed; Conservation Groups Plan To File Appeal". Earthjustice. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Willow Master Development Plan Supplemental Environmental Impact StatementVolume 1: Executive Summary, Chapters 1 through 5" (PDF). BLM. January 2023. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
- ^ DeMarban, Alex (June 28, 2023). "Alaska regulators propose $914,000 fine against ConocoPhillips for North Slope gas blowout and leak". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
Further reading
- Friedman, Lisa (March 12, 2023). "Biden Administration Approves Huge Alaska Oil Project". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- "Could two lawsuits block the Willow Project in Alaska?". March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- "The Willow oil project debate comes down to this key climate change question". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- "Haaland criticized over 'difficult' choice on Willow project". Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- "What is the Willow project in Alaska? Controversial oil drilling plan explained". Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- Megerian, Chris; ago, Associated Press Updated: 21 hours ago Published: 21 hours. "Backlash over Willow oil project in Alaska strikes at Biden climate legacy". Retrieved March 17, 2023.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - "What is the controversy behind the Alaska Willow oil project?". March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- "Willow oil project approval intensifies Alaska Natives' rift". ABC News. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- Webb, Romany (May 10, 2023). "Rethinking the Willow Project: Did BLM Have Other Options?". Retrieved September 9, 2023.