Mr. President,

The Biden administration's approval of the Willow Project contradicts multiple promises made to work toward a fossil fuel-free future. Approval of Arctic drilling releasing 260 million metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere over three decades will only exacerbate the climate crisis and put us behind schedule on our previously stated goal of a pollution-free energy sector by 2035. Please course-correct, take a dedicated stand, and — without exception — deny new fossil fuel leases and ban all further drilling on public lands and waterways.

No more leases to oil companies who continue despoiling sensitive ecosystems and polluting the atmosphere. The Willow Project and other drilling, pipeline, and mining projects take us backward when we simply can’t afford to make mistakes. The health and future of our planet is on the line.

In addition, where fossil fuel development goes, the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) follows. Mancamps, the temporary housing areas for workers on oil and gas projects, are often connected to a precipitous increase in violence toward Indigenous women and girls. Alaska Native women and girls already suffer violence at alarmingly high rates. Lives are on the line not just for future generations, but also for vulnerable populations today.

Mr. President, please reconsider your stance on fossil fuels. No more equivocation, no more exceptions, no more approvals of dirty energy projects in sensitive ecosystems that position Indigenous communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis. I ask that you make this pledge today.