House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), and Representative Nick Begich (R-Alaska) have launched an inquiry into six environmental organizations for their opposition to the Willow Project on Alaska’s North Slope. The Willow Project is considered significant for both U.S. energy policy and Alaska’s economic development, having received support from both major political parties as well as Native Alaskan communities.
The committee sent letters to the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. In these letters, the 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 covers about 385 acres within the 23-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). It is expected to produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil per day at its peak with an estimated total output of about 600 million barrels over its lifetime.
The project is projected to generate significant revenues—up to $17.1 billion in federal, state, and local royalties and taxes—and create around nine million work hours during construction. This would translate into approximately 2,500 construction jobs and 300 permanent positions that would benefit local communities in northern Alaska.
Supporters highlight that many Native Alaskans living near NPR-A have expressed strong backing for Willow due to these anticipated economic benefits.
For more details or to read copies of the committee’s correspondence with each group:
– Read the Committee’s letter to the Center for Biological Diversity here.
– Read the Committee’s letter to Defenders of Wildlife here.
– Read the Committee’s letter to Earthjustice here.
– Read the Committee’s letter to Friends of the Earth here.
– Read the Committee’s letter to Greenpeace here.
– Read the Committee’s letter to Natural Resources Defense Council here.