Federal Judge Allows Construction of Alaska's Willow Oil Field Amid Environmental Lawsuits

A federal judge in Alaska has allowed the construction of ConocoPhillips' Willow oil drilling project to proceed while lawsuits against the project proceed. Environmental groups argue that the project's potential climate effects violate federal law and threaten species such as polar bears. The Biden administration approved the project last month, but more than 1 million letters were written to the White House protesting the project. The area where the project is planned holds up to 600 million barrels of oil, and the project would generate enough oil to release 9.2 million metric tons of planet-warming carbon pollution a year.