Willow oil project approval intensifies Alaska Natives’ rift

By MARK THIESSEN and MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Biden administration’s approval this week of the biggest oil drilling project in Alaska in decades promises to widen a rift among Alaska Natives. Some say oil money won’t counter the damages caused by climate change and others defend the project as economically vital, since some of the money will support public services and infrastructure investments. Local officials say that just a few decades ago many of these communities had no running water; on Alaska’s North Slope, many locals celebrated the project’s approval. Lawsuits were filed almost immediately by environmentalists and one Alaska Native group are likely to exacerbate tensions over ConocoPhillips’ Willow project.