Biden Moves to Protect 28 Million Acres of Alaskan Wilderness from Oil and Gas Exploitation after Repeated Pressure from Climate Defiance

In March 2023, the Biden Administration made a devastating decision to approve the Willow Project in Alaska, which will result 260 million tons of carbon emissions over its 30 year lifespan and disrupt thousands of acres of pristine wilderness habitat. At a time when experts are calling for a halt on all new fossil fuel expansion, the Biden Administration chose to move in the exact opposite direction. 

The Biden Administration knew that the decision would carry political consequences, and CEF grantee Climate Defiance took it upon themselves to make those consequences manifest as disruptive protests. Climate Defiance repeatedly targeted the Biden Administration to call for a halt on all new fossil fuels in the US. These protests led to the resignation of the Department of Interior bureaucrat who signed off on the Willow Project, Tommy Beaudreau, and generated massive amounts of negative publicity for the Biden Administration as a whole. 

Then, in August 2024, Biden moved to protect 28 million acres of Alaskan Wilderness from future fossil oil and gas extraction, an area roughly equivalent in size to the state of Pennsylvania. The New York Times’ coverage of the decision stated that Biden was “personally stung by the outraged response in March from climate voters, particularly young environmentalists, after he approved the enormous Willow oil project,” and that he is “eager to win them back.”

Climate Defiance’s protests significantly amplified the voices of “young environmentalists”, making them impossible to ignore. Once again, Climate Defiance has shown that persistent, disruptive protests can create pressure at the highest levels of government and lead to concrete victories.