Alaska Wilderness League comments on potential Willow Project approval

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Sunday, March 12th, 2023 6:57pm

By Jasz Garrett

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Alaska Wilderness League logo (Credit to AWL)

Anchorage, Alaska (KINY) - The Alaska Wilderness League issued statements regarding the Willow Project as well as on the new regulations in the National Petroleum Reserve.

“We support more protection for the unparalleled lands and waters of the Arctic, especially in the ecologically rich western Arctic Reserve,” said Kristen Miller, executive director of Alaska Wilderness League. “However, this effort must be followed by a rejection of the Willow project to fully be in line with this administration’s commitment to climate, biodiversity, and frontline communities. The Willow project is designed to open the door to the development of billions of barrels of oil over decades across this biologically rich landscape. We need more than a firewall, we need to put out the fire. Rampant oil and gas development on our nation’s public lands must stop now. Conservation efforts must include aggressive action on climate, which includes a fundamental change in the way we deal with oil and gas on public lands – starting in America’s Arctic. We stand with the millions of climate allies who are speaking out against Willow’s unacceptable climate threats, and we will carry this momentum forward. We will not back down until the Arctic is protected, once and for all.”

News of the North also followed up with Andy Moderow, senior director of policy for the Alaska Wilderness League. 

"We're deeply troubled by this misstep of the climate president. If he goes forward and approves the Willow project, we don't think that's the right move to protect our climate, to protect biodiversity. Particularly in response to listening to the community of Nuiqsut who's spoken out during this process, and has raised concerns about local impacts. So we're concerned by the announcement that this might be breaking in the days ahead," Moderow commented.

He expanded on how the Willow project could impact the environment.

"This development would open up a whole oil frontier that could produce climate impacts through 2050 and beyond, at a time when our nation and our globe needs to move away from fossil fuel development if we're going to be serious about addressing climate change," he said. "I think being in the state that is impacted by climate much more than other states in this country, we see the impacts daily. So Alaska really does need to be part of the solution."

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