Washington, D.C. - Today, the Biden Administration issued a final decision on the Willow oil and gas project in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A.) while also issuing new rules to block oil and gas leases on more than 13 million of the 23 million acres that form the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. In response, Power The Future's Alaska State Director, Rick Whitbeck, issued the following statement:

"Today's decision proves even a stopped clock is correct twice a day, as Biden surprised nearly everyone with Willow's approval. Now, Alaska can move ahead with a project that will employ over 2,500 people during construction, create more than 300 full-time jobs, and provide 180,000 barrels of oil a day down the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. With Willow, we celebrate science over fear mongering, opportunity over obstructionism and America over OPEC. As good as that decision is, the trade-off creates a short-term gain and long-term pain for Alaska and America. Biden's actions to permanently lock up 13 million acres in the NPR-A, as well as shutter any hopes of development in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, are horrible for Alaska's resource future. Those areas have been estimated to hold 15-20 billion barrels of oil and nearly 100 trillion cubic feet of gas, but are now off-limits forever. Make no mistake – Willow is a huge win for America, but at what cost?"

Power The Future is a 501c4 non-profit dedicated to fighting for American energy workers.