Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan laud the likelihood of the North Slope's Willow project. Critics see it more as a slippery slope.

In essence, President Joe Biden’s team gave the project a thumbs up so long as steps are taken to mitigate the expected carbon footprint.

On Tuesday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, raised objections to the now-vetoed Pebble Mine Project, citing, among other things, what she and environmentalists see as a threat to the salmon industry in Bristol Bay.

Wednesday, however, Murkowski released a solid statement of support for Willow. The senator said in her opinion, “Willow is environmentally just, meticulously planned, and will bring significant economic, fiscal, and security benefits with truly minimal environmental impact.”

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, who also opposed opening up mining in Bristol Bay, echoed Murkowski’s praise for Willow. “The Willow project is enormously important, not only for the economic security of Alaska, but also for the energy security of the nation and all hardworking Americans who have suffered from record energy prices for too long.”

But while Murkowski and Sullivan regard Willow as a boon to Alaska and the nation, Earth Justice attorney Jeremy Lieb dismisses the project as nothing less than what he terms “a carbon bomb.” He calls likely approval of the Willow “drastically out of step with the Biden administration’s goals to slash climate pollution and transition to clean energy.”

Also opposing the BLM for what they believe will be the destruction of Alaska Native hunting grounds are the Native village of Nuiqsut and the city of Nuiqsut. Both condemn the BLM process as “deeply flawed.”

As per law, the Interior Department will render a decision no sooner than 30 days after the release of its SEIS.