ConocoPhillips Co. will develop the Willow project on Alaska’s North Slope following the US Department of the Interior’s Record of Decision and the recent denial of plaintiffs’ request for an injunction in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Earlier in the year, the Biden administration took the final step needed to approve Willow in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska about 35 miles west of the village of Nuiqsut. At the same time, the administration announced it would put more Arctic areas off limits to oil and gas development (OGJ Online, Apr. 3, 2023).
The Ninth Circuit Court ruled against opponents of the project for injunctive relief to immediately stop work on the project. Site work will continue while the court continues the case. Opening briefs are due Dec. 29, 2023, and consolidated answering briefs are due Jan. 12, 2024.
Willow underwent 5 years of regulatory and environmental review and is expected to produce an estimated 600 million bbl during the lifetime of the project. It will provide $8-17 billion in new revenue for the federal government, the state of Alaska, and Alaska Native communities, according to the Bureau of Land Management.
