U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Rep. Don Young, all R-Alaska, issued the following statements on the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) final Environmental Impact Statement for the Willow Master Development Plan in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A).

“As Alaskans work to rebuild our economy, it’s essential for significant projects to make steady progress through the permitting process,” said Murkowski, Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.“Willow could generate hundreds of jobs, substantial revenues, and more than 100,000 barrels of needed throughput per day for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. I thank BLM for keeping this review on schedule and accommodating the project sponsor’s request to address community concerns about its original design. This project is an important part of our state’s economic future.”

“Energy security is national security, and the Willow Project will position Alaska and America for continued energy independence and energy dominance in the years ahead,” said Sullivan. “With this important review process completed, we are one step closer to bringing this massive North Slope development to fruition—including hundreds of good-paying jobs for hard-working Alaskans, thousands of barrels a day in TAPS throughput, and billions of dollars in economic activity—without negatively impacting the environment Alaskans cherish.”

"The Willow project represents immense potential for our state. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our economy, and we must continue making progress on projects like Willow that could bring good-paying jobs, significant revenue, and the resources we need to make America energy independent. This milestone is an important one, not only for Alaska but for the countless families who depend on the oil and gas industry to make a living. I am grateful to everyone at BLM who helped facilitate a thorough and timely EIS, and I look forward to our continued progress on this critical project," said Young.

The Willow project is a multi-billion dollar development proposed by ConocoPhillips in the NPR-A. It is located close to the Greater Mooses Tooth-1 and Greater Mooses Tooth-2 projects. The NPR-A is administered by BLM and covers more than 23 million acres on the western North Slope of Alaska—an area roughly the size of Indiana. In 2017, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that NPR-A contains an estimated 8.7 billion barrels of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil. 

Read the final EIS and more material about the Willow Master Development Plan here.

Read the Alaska delegation’s prior letters to the Department of the Interior about the importance of the project hereand here.