ACTION Toolkit

BIDEN & DEpt of Interior:

STOP THE WILLOW OIL PROJECT!

Call the White House: 202-456-1111*

*White House comment line open Tues - Thurs 11am - 3pm EST

Call the Interior Department: 202-208-1923

Send a message: bit.ly/BidenStopWillow

3/27/23 UPDATE:

The Biden Administration can still #StopWillow. The Administration’s claims that they could not have rejected the project is not based in law. They could have rejected it, and they still can.

The U.S. Department of the Interior can withdraw their Record of Decision (ROD) and submit a new one. The agency has the authority to do this provided they give an explanation for their change in position. Here, it could be that the ROD was issued without sufficient environmental review and that there’s new information from the IPCC’s latest synthesis report to review. The Biden Administration has withdrawn RODs and issued new ones for Arctic-related oil and gas activity in the past, for example the Integrated Activity Plan for the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska.

We need to continue to build pressure on the Administration to #StopWillow.

1: Please Retweet People Vs Fossil Fuels

You can create your own social posts by using the talking points below:

• The Biden Administration claims they had to approve Willow, but they didn’t. They could have stopped Willow, and they still can. The Administration must withdraw their Record of Decision & #StopWillow now.
• Millions of people, especially young people, are opposed to the Willow project because it’s a climate bomb. Even the United Nations Secretary General has condemned the project. The President can still right this wrong by ordering the Department of the Interior to withdraw their Record of Decision and #StopWillow.
• The Biden Administration made a mistake when it approved Willow. The project will disproportionately effect the town of Nuiqsuit, which is vehemently opposed to the project. It will harm the subsistence lifestyle of local Indigenous people. But, the Biden Administration can fix this. It can withdraw their Record of Decision and #StopWillow.

2: Please help us flood the Biden administration phone lines registering our condemnation of this decision. You can use the scripts below:

Call the White House comment line at (202) 456 1111:

NOTE: The White House comment line is only open Tuesday - Thursday from 11am - 3pm EST. Please try to direct your calls during those hours. If the comment line number doesn’t work, try the White House switch board and ask for the comment line at (202) 456-1414.

Hi, my name is (X). I’m outraged to hear that President Biden approved the Willow Project. Millions of people urged the President to reject Willow. We know that he still can. I’m calling to urge the President to direct the Department of the Interior to withdraw their Record of Decision and #StopWillow once and for all. At this point in the climate emergency, any new fossil fuel project will drive us further into assured climate destruction. The president must use his authority to stop Willow and all fossil fuel expansion. Thank you.

BREAKING (3/13/2023):

This morning, the Biden administration approved the Willow project in Alaska – betraying his climate and environmental promises, and defying a massive show of resistance from all corners of Turtle Island led by Indigenous communities who will be most impacted.

Millions of people across Turtle Island called and wrote in to Biden urging him to #StopWillow, including millions of young people who mobilized a massive online resistance to the project.

From The Guardian: “The Biden administration’s approval makes it clear that its call for climate action and the protection of biodiversity is talk, not action,” said Sonia Ahkivgak, social outreach coordinator at the Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic group. “The only reasonable solution to the climate emergency is to deny new fossil fuel projects like Willow. Our fight has been long and also it has only begun. We will continue to call for a stop to Willow because the lives of local people and future generations depend on it.”

The science is clear: oil, gas and coal are driving the climate emergency, and there is absolutely NO room for new fossil fuel projects if we are to keep global warming below 1.5C to avoid utter catastrophe.

While the Biden administration committed to implement new protections for the Arctic to prevent future drilling elsewhere in Alaska, these protections do nothing to prevent the climate devastation and environmental destruction guaranteed by the administration’s approval of Willow – and won’t help the people and wildlife who will be upended by this massive expansion of fossil fuel development.

The fight is not over – as a coalition, we’ll do anything in our growing power to keep this super-polluting project from breaking ground and demand accountability from Biden.

1: Please amplify statements from Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic and People vs Fossil Fuels, and keep the heat up on social media:

Twitter

• https://twitter.com/FightFossils/status/1635314453981036544?s=20 
• https://twitter.com/FightFossils/status/1635293307227222020?s=20 
• https://twitter.com/FightFossils/status/1635315647285723137?s=20 
• https://twitter.com/FightFossils/status/1635306272424873985?s=20 
• https://twitter.com/FightFossils/status/1635295943502467072?s=20 

Instagram

• https://www.instagram.com/p/CpvBWl-rn-W/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= 
• Follow SILA: https://www.instagram.com/silainuat/ 

2: Please help us flood the Biden administration phone lines registering our condemnation of this decision. You can use the scripts below:

Call the White House comment line at (202) 456 1111:

NOTE: The White House comment line is only open Tuesday - Thursday from 11am - 3pm EST. Please try to direct your calls during those hours.

Hi, my name is (X). I’m outraged to hear that president approved the Willow Master Development Project, a disaster for our climate and the Arctic. Millions of people called and wrote in telling Biden to STOP WILLOW. At this point in the climate emergency, any new fossil fuel project is a betrayal of your promises and will drive us further into assured climate destruction. The president has the power to reject Willow and all fossil fuel projects. He must use that power immediately to stop fossil fuel expansion.

Once you’ve called, post on Twitter and ask people to join you:  

1. @POTUS  approved the Willow project, but our fight isn't over yet. Call Biden now to condemn this decision & urge him to withdraw it. #StopWillow.

2. Use this script: Hi, my name is _. I’m outraged that President Biden approved the Willow Project, despite fierce opposition. Any new fossil fuel project will drive us further into climate destruction. The president must withdraw this decision & reject all fossil fuel projects.

Download link for graphic

BREAKING (3/10/2023):

According to Bloomberg, sources close to the president say the administration will announce its approval for the Willow project next week with deferred drill sites. Any type of approval of this project would be devastating for our planet and the Arctic and greenlight future expansion. Share Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic (SILA)’s statement on this news here. 

This is NOT yet a final decision. We still have time to flood Biden’s social accounts and phone lines before the official announcement is made to make it clear he must #StopWillow! Here’s how you can help: 

1: Post on social and tag Biden’s accounts

Twitter: @POTUS, @JoeBiden

Instagram: @potus, @joebiden

2. Call Biden’s Department of Interior at (202) 208 1923. Here’s a script:  

“Hi, my name is (X). I just heard the administration is poised to approve the Willow Master Development Project. This would be a terrible decision for our climate and the Arctic. The Willow Project would lock in irreversible climate pollution for the next 30 years. Approving this project would severely jeopardize the President’s own climate goals and push us further into a climate emergency. You must STOP WILLOW.”

Call the White House comment line at (202) 456 1111 and say:

NOTE: The White House comment line is only open Tuesday - Thursday from 11am - 3pm EST. Please try to direct your calls during those hours. Unfortunately, this is the only way to make sure calls are recorded and reported by White House staff.

“Hi, my name is (X). I just heard that the President is poised to approve the Willow Master Development Project. This would be a terrible decision for our climate and the Arctic. The Willow Project would lock in irreversible climate pollution for the next 30 years, jeopardizing the president’s own climate goals and pushing us further into a climate emergency. Millions of people have called and written in telling Biden to STOP WILLOW. The president must listen to them.”  

3: Comment on Biden’s posts

Another way to get our message to the president is to join with hundreds of others commenting #StopWillow on his Instragram posts:

https://www.instagram.com/joebiden/

https://www.instagram.com/potus/

______________________________________________________________________________________

On Feb. 1st, the Biden administration took another step towards approving the Willow Master Development Project – a massive oil drilling development in Alaska’s western Arctic that threatens local communities and wildlife, and the global climate.

President Biden promised to deliver on climate – but ConocoPhillips’ dirty and dangerous Willow project would irreversibly take us backwards. Willow would emit 278 million metric tons of climate pollution over the next 30 years. That’s equivalent to the annual emissions from 74 coal plants — one-third of all remaining U.S. plants.

Extracting millions of barrels of oil in Alaska would only increase temperatures in a region that’s already warming four times faster than the rest of the world. Willow will disproportionately impact the community of Nuiqsut, a predominantly Iñupiaq village of about 500 people already suffering extreme pollution from existing oil projects.

The Biden administration is expected to issue its final decision on the project as soon as March 6th. That means we still have time to pressure Biden and his Department of Interior to deny this dangerous project, #StopWillow, and prevent this climate bomb!

Use and share this guide with three quick and easy actions you can take to pressure the Biden administration to #StopWillow: Call in, fax-in, and post on social!

______________________________________________________________________________________

CALL-IN:

Help us flood phone lines at the White House and Department of Interior calling on them to deny this dangerous oil drilling project. Use the call-in numbers and scripts below!

NOTE: The White House comment line is only open Tuesday - Thursday from 11am - 3pm EST. Please try to direct your calls during those hours. Unfortunately, this is the only way to make sure calls are recorded and reported by White House staff.

1. Call the White House comment line at (202) 456 1111 and say:

“Hi, my name is (X) and I’m calling with People vs. Fossil Fuels to express my deep concern over the Willow Master Development Project. The Willow Project is incompatible with the President’s climate agenda. If approved, it would severely jeopardize the President’s own national climate goals, and lock in irreversible climate pollution for the next 30 years. Biden cannot be a climate leader if he keeps greenlighting fossil fuel projects. The President must STOP WILLOW.”

2. Call the Department of Interior at (202) 208 1923 and tell them:

“Hi, my name is (X) and I’m calling with People vs. Fossil Fuels to express my deep concern over the Willow Master Development Project. The Willow Project would lock in irreversible climate pollution for the next 30 years. Approving this project would severely jeopardize the President’s own climate goals and push us further into a climate emergency. You must STOP WILLOW.”

FAX -IN:

Click the link below to send a fax to the White House calling for Biden to #StopWillow!

<< CLICK HERE TO SEND A FAX >> 

P.S. Wondering why this tactic? Because faxes are less frequently used these days, this is way to make sure our messages stand apart and make a bigger splash in White House offices.

AMPLIFY ON SOCIAL:

Once you’ve taken action, don’t forget to post on social and encourage your friends and network to do the same! Use the hashtags and tags below to direct your post to Biden and the Department of Interior:

NOTE: Please draft your own language for Twitter based on the copy below. If you copy and paste, your Tweet won’t have as much of a reach! 

• .@POTUS, this is CODE RED! 🆘 Global scientists are clear - we cannot afford ANY new fossil fuel infrastructure to have any hope of avoiding the very worst climate disasters. You must #StopWillow, the massive oil drilling project, from being approved. bit.ly/BidenStopWillow
• .@JoeBiden, YOUR administration has taken another step towards approving the disastrous Willow Oil Project – we face heatwaves, fires, flooding & droughts from the fossil-fueled #ClimateEmergency. This project would only make things worse. #StopWillow bit.ly/BidenStopWillow
• .@POTUS, you told us in the #SOTU that you would stand up to #BigOil. That means stopping the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure. That means #StopWillow. bit.ly/BidenStopWillow
• .@POTUS, don’t choose #BigOil over the people - AGAIN. The Willow Oil Drilling Project would be devastating for Alaskan communities and the global climate. How can you greenlight a project that jeopardizes your OWN climate goals? #StopWilow bit.ly/BidenStopWillow
• 📣 No more business as usual @POTUS. 📣 Fossil fuels as the #1 driver of climate change & we are running out of time. Stop fossil fuel expansion. #StopWillow. Don’t approve a project that would severely jeopardize your OWN climate goals. bit.ly/BidenStopWillow

Background on People vs. Fossil Fuels:

We’re organizing to make the President use his existing executive powers to take bold climate action and stop the sacrifice of our frontline, Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities to the greed of Big Oil & Gas.  

As we begin the new year with Republicans holding the House, the only path forward for national climate solutions is through executive action. Biden's most recent executive orders on climate have been mainly focused on scaling up renewables – he has yet to take executive action directly focused on scaling back fossil fuel extraction. While scaling up renewables is essential, this will only make a difference for our climate if the President also takes action to ramp down fossil fuels – the number one driver of the climate emergency.

This must start with the president directing his agencies to immediately reject any new fossil fuel projects. This is ever-more imperative as communities across the country – predominantly Black, Brown, and Indigenous – continue to face the expansion of toxic fossil fuel projects and infrastructure that directly threaten their health and well-being, while making the climate emergency worse.

Biden broke his promise to end new federal fossil fuel leasing and allowed more lease sales in his first two years than Trump. His administration has greenlighted the expansion of oil and gas export projects, like the Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT) in the Gulf. And he stated his support for Manchin’s dirty deal to weaken environmental review and fast-track fossil fuel projects, including the Mountain Valley Pipeline. His legacy on fossil fuels so far is extremely disappointing.

Yet we know Biden has the executive power to do far more to stand up to the greed of Big Oil & Gas and start scaling back fossil fuels in line with what the climate crisis – and the health of our communities – demand. We just need to push him to use it.

The People vs Fossil Fuels Coalition has long pushed for President Biden to use his existing authority to stop approvals for all new fossil fuel projects and exports, end fossil fuel production on public lands and waters, and declare a climate emergency to more rapidly shift us off of fossil fuels.

Now, more than ever, we must push the President to act on our demands! It is our job to hold him accountable to be the climate president and speed the end of the fossil fuel era.  To learn more about Biden’s executive powers to stop fossil fuels,  visit: https://bidensclimatepowers.org/