By Crystal Gallardo Vazquez, SFSU 2024
Located on the North Slope of Alaska within the National Petroleum Reserve, the Willow Project, an ongoing oil drilling project, has been deemed a favorable site for new oil in the U.S.[1]. Under the construction of ConocoPhillips, the project is expected to produce roughly 576 million barrels of oil in the next 30 years, serving as a reliable source of domestic energy in the U.S.[2]. With over 200 wells distributed across 3 drilling pads and several miles of pipelines and roads, the project promises a significant production capacity [3].
Despite its characterization as a beneficial addition to the United States’s energy sources, the construction and production practices of the Willow Project are directly responsible for the environmental and societal injustices placed upon neighboring communities, designating this Alaskan region an energy sacrifice zone.
Environmental Impacts
Through the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976, the region was specifically appointed for oil and gas development, making it a suitable location for new oil in the United States [4].Yet, the associated environmental impacts continue to strain the region. Impacts include:
- Disturbances to important nesting grounds of millions of migratory birds and caribou [5]
- Loss of 532 acres of wetlands, 619 acres of disturbances for polar bears, and 17,000 acres of disturbances for birds [6]
- Increases in the severity of climate change due to melting sea ice, coastal erosion, and thawing permafrost [7]
- Burning the oil would place roughly 239 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere over 30 years [8]
Who Bears the Costs?
In terms of health and safety risks, the indigenous Nuiqsut community of Alaska experiences constant threats from the pollutants emitted from the oil drilling project including methane leaks from production equipment and pollution emitted from transportation vehicles moving materials to oil wells [9]. These pollutants have been linked to dangerous kidney, cardiovascular, and chronic respiratory conditions proving to be a serious threat to public health and safety [10]. The Nuiqsut people have reported an increase in the number of cases of respiratory illnesses caused by the increasing number of oil wells being constructed near their communities with children particularly experiencing a surge in illness caused by the close proximity of oil wells located right behind their schools [11]. Furthermore, the Nuiqsut peoples rely on the land for practices like subsistence hunting of important migratory species such as the caribou, but with the oil drilling, important wildlife species that typically occupy the territory will slowly start to disappear because of the disturbances placed on the landscapes[12].
Becoming a Sacrifice Zone
The Willow project showcases how the health and safety of the Nuiqsut people and their land have been written off as necessary for the country’s economic advancement, otherwise known as a sacrifice zone. Despite persistent pushback from the affected communities, companies like ConocoPhillips claim that drilling for new oil from Alaska is necessary to help ensure that the U.S. has a reliable domestic supply of energy to prevent and limit the country’s dependence on other oil suppliers [13]. While the Willow project is predicted to produce billions of dollars in economic activity in Alaska, the lack of participation of the Nuiqsut people in the planning of this project only further exemplifies how indigenous communities are seen as expendable to guarantee the overall advancement of the whole country. The Nuiqsut people are forced to endure the environmental hazards from the nearby toxic industrial processes and face the cultural consequences of energy production, with little promise of receiving the economic benefits discussed to justify their region’s sacrifice. Ultimately, the construction and drilling operations associated with the Willow project will produce critical environmental destruction and irreversible changes to the Nuiqsut community’s way of life showcasing how the government deemed the Alaska region an energy sacrifice zone for the economic enhancement of a select few.
References
[1] Puko, T. (2023). What is the Willow project? The Alaska oil drilling debate, explained. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/03/17/willow-project-alaska-oil-drilling-explained/
[2] Puko, T. (2023)
[3] Hernandez, J. (2023). Willow oil drilling project in Alaska is approved. NPR. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2023/03/13/1163075377/willow-drilling-project-alaska-approved-biden
[4] Puko, T. (2023)
[5] Turrentine, J. (2023). Why the Willow Project Is a Bad Idea. NRDC. Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/stories/why-willow-project-bad-idea
[6] Turrentine, J. (2023).
[7] Turrentine, J. (2023)
[8] Puko, T. (2023)
[9] Montgomery, E., & Sinchai, J. (2023). What is the Willow Project? A Ticking “Carbon Bomb”. Environment America. Retrieved from https://environmentamerica.org/articles/what-is-the-willow-project-a-ticking-carbon-bomb/
[10] Montgomery, E., & Sinchai, J. (2023)
[11] Montgomery, E., & Sinchai, J. (2023)
[12] Montgomery, E., & Sinchai, J. (2023)
[13] Puko, T. (2023)
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