This week, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), and U.S. Rep. Nick Begich (R-Alaska) initiated an inquiry into six environmental organizations for their opposition to the Willow Project in Alaska's North Slope. The lawmakers sent letters to the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.
In their correspondence, the committee members stated: “The House Committee on Natural Resources is conducting oversight related to [the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the Natural Resources Defense Council] efforts to derail the widely supported bipartisan Willow Project. The Committee is particularly concerned with [the groups’] coordination with other activist special interest groups, many of which employ lawfare strategies, including ethically dubious sue and settle tactics, to not only champion a disdain for established essential multiple use principles, but also drown out the voices of native Alaskans while simultaneously undermining American energy independence.”
The Willow Project aims to develop oil resources in Alaska’s North Slope region. It has a gravel footprint covering about 385 acres within the 23-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. At peak production levels, it could yield up to 180,000 barrels of oil daily and recover approximately 600 million barrels over its lifetime.
Supporters argue that Willow will generate significant economic benefits. Projections estimate up to $17.1 billion in combined federal, state, and local tax revenues and royalties from the project. Construction is expected to require around nine million work hours and create about 2,500 jobs during development as well as 300 long-term positions benefiting local communities.
Native Alaskan communities living near the North Slope have largely expressed support for the project due to these potential economic opportunities.
The committee’s letters are available online:
- Letter to Center for Biological Diversity
- Letter to Defenders of Wildlife
- Letter to Earthjustice
- Letter to Friends of the Earth
- Letter to Greenpeace
- Letter to Natural Resources Defense Council
