Willow Project, the Alaska oil project that divided America

In an article in The Patriots on 9 June 2023, Ahmad Faezal explained the Willow Project, an oil project in Alaska that sparked a clash between United States politicians and environmental activists. This article summarises his explanation; developments after June 2023 are not covered.

America is already "energy independent"

According to Ahmad Faezal, the US now produces more oil than Saudi Arabia, even without Willow. He rejects the misconception that the US is rich in oil because it "stole Iraq's oil". There was corruption in Iraq after Saddam, with US$150 billion smuggled out between 2003 and 2021 (citing CNN), but that was money, not crude oil, and many parties were involved.

The US's strength, he says, comes from its own reserves in the ground and hydraulic fracturing (fracking) technology. The US Strategic Petroleum Reserve can hold 714 million barrels, and the US also took over gas supplies to Europe after Russia cut them off.

Alaska, the "useless" land that turned out to be rich

The US bought Alaska from Russia in 1867 for $7.2 million (worth about $151 million now). At the time, Americans mocked the purchase of the frozen land. Then gold was found, setting off a gold rush, and in 1968, oil.

The project and the controversy

The Willow reserve lies in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, an area managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). According to the writer:

Environmental groups such as Earthjustice oppose the project because of its carbon emissions, which have been likened to the exhaust of two million cars, and the disruption to wildlife. Indigenous residents, including the Nuiqsut community closest to the operating zone, bear the worst of the impact even though 13 villages receive payments.

Why it is hard to stop

According to Ahmad Faezal, Biden was bound by the original approval from the Trump era. If the project were cancelled, ConocoPhillips could take the government to court and claim billions in compensation out of taxpayers' money. The Alaska state government strongly supports the project because it is expected to lift the state's slow economy.

Ahmad Faezal's full article, with references, is on The Patriots.