What has Joe Biden done? The Willow Project

On Monday, the 12 of March, the Biden administration approved a multi-billion dollar oil drilling project in Alaska known as, The Willow project. This act has caused outrage among many democrat politicians, voters, and climate activists worldwide. Many believe this oil drilling project will devastate the environment and wildlife in Alaska. This decision by the Biden administration has caused an increase in online activism, as many are speaking out about this project on social media and signing petitions on "change.org." People have also been practicing the civil duty of sending letters to the white house trying to plead with the president's administration.

Why are these people so upset? And why did Biden go against his party in passing this?

The Biden administration, since the presidential election in 2020, has prided itself in being an administration that believes in climate change and that will help our country battle the effects of climate change and set our nation up for success when it comes to positively impacting the climate. For example, one of his big promises during his presidential race was that he would rejoin the Paris climate agreement, which he did. The Paris climate agreement is an agreement between countries that aims to strengthen the global response to the effects of climate change. But the Willom project goes against all his previous statements to fight climate change. The results of the project on our environment will be massive. According to Evergreen Action, "Over the next 30 years, the Willow Project could pump between 278 and 287 million metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution into our atmosphere". It will also cause detrimental effects on the biodiversity in Alaska.

The willow project will expand into underdeveloped areas in Alaska, including the Teshekpuk lake, a home for many unique species in Alaska. Biden has been a persistent advocate for climate restoration and climate change prevention. Many of these stances attracted a portion of his voters, and this project has broken their trust, and he has gone against what he has promised. Biden has also previously vowed to slow down oil and gas investments, but the willow project will lock oil into the US economy for decades.Many believe this project will "destroy" Alaska.

There has to be a reason President Biden would do such a thing, and there is: to please the Republican party as well as Republican voters. The 2024 presidential election is only a year and a half away, and some republican voters must vote for Biden in order for him to win; to do this, he needs to pass legislation that the republican party supports, one of which is the willow project. The Willow project is backed by many Republicans because it will boost the Alaskan economy and create thousands of jobs.. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said in a statement, "We finally did it, Willow is finally reapproved, and we can almost literally feel Alaska's future brightening because of it"..." now on the cusp of creating thousands of new jobs, generating billions of dollars in new revenues and improving quality of life on the North Slope and across our state."

The approval of the Willow project has garnered much criticism online, and the project will most likely be challenged in court by environmental advocates.