On Monday, a resolution offered by Rep. Josiah Patkotak of Utqiagvik passed the the Alaska House of Representatives in support of oil and gas development in the National Petroleum Reserve on the North Slope of Alaska. The House unanimously passed House Joint Resolution 6, encouraging the federal government and the Biden Administration to approve the Willow project.
Willow could produce as much as 600,000,000 barrels of oil and generate thousands of new jobs with millions of dollars in revenue for the state of Alaska. It is supported by Alaskan Native Leaders, local government, and communities across the North Slope. This project offers more than just economic benefits. It has the potential to provide family-supporting jobs and wages, improve educational opportunities, provide needed infrastructure, and expand services to the region. Additionally, royalties from the project will support the NPRA Grant mitigation fund, which works to support communities closest to oil and gas development.
Patkotak stated: “I thank my colleagues for voting for HJR 6 and for speaking as one in support of the Willow project. The people of the North Slope, long-standing stewards of the NPRA lands, understand better than anyone the need for this incredible economic opportunity. As their representative, it is critical for me to echo the advocacy of my people when it comes to sustaining our way of life.”
“Federal approval of the Willow project would decrease the dependency on foreign oil and strengthen our National Defense by filling our national oil reserves,” added Rep. George Rauscher of Sutton. “Approval of this project needs to happen now. The benefits to the state of Alaska and the country are too great to let this opportunity pass.”
House Speaker Cathy Tilton said, “The Willow Project and others like it are critical to the economic stability of Alaska. These projects allow us to balance budgets and provide for a long-term fiscal plan. They also bring prosperity in the form of good-paying jobs and local economic stimulus. We urge the Biden Administration to heed our Resolution to approve the Willow Project doing what is in the best interest of Alaska and the nation.”
The Alaska delegation in Washington, D.C. has asked the Legislature to pass resolutions to support the project, which is threatened by environmentalists who have hold of the Biden Administration’s Department of the Interior. Earlier this month, regulators gave qualified approval to a scaled down version of the oil and gas project, but Sec. of Interior Deb Haaland said she has serious reservations.
