Oil giant faces major backlash after shocking disaster: 'The community absorbs the consequences'

When we burn fuel sources such as coal, oil, and gasoline, they pollute the air for everyone. But even the process of extracting them from the environment causes significant harm to the communities directly neighboring the drilling sites. An oil rig has just toppled over in Alaska, causing a spill and a fire in an area recently opened up for exploration by ConocoPhillips, Inside Climate News reported.

What's happening?

The controversial Willow project, approved by the Biden administration in 2023, opened the door to oil exploration in the Alaskan Arctic. More exploration was approved last year, including expansion into crucial caribou habitat and areas that the local Iñupiat residents of the village of Nuiqsut rely on for hunting and subsistence.

During this exploration, one of ConocoPhillips' gigantic oil rigs fell onto the tundra.

At the time, it was carrying an estimated 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel, and it caused a fire. Not only that, but several days later, Inside Climate News reported that severe weather had prevented crews from responding to the spill or even assessing the damage, according to Kimberley Maher, state on-scene coordinator for Alaska's Department of Environmental Conservation.

"We are working together to put the plans in place as soon as there is a weather window to continue cleanup efforts," Maher said, per Inside Climate News.

Why is this accident important?

This fallen oil rig isn't just costing the company money; it's damaging a fragile, vital ecosystem that a community of American citizens relies on for survival.

According to Inside Climate News, the oil rig fell within 50 feet of oil infrastructure that could potentially have been damaged by the impact or subsequent fire. The spill also occurred within less than 500 feet of a tributary of the Colville River, an important fishing ground.

While it is impossible to predict that any given oil rig will fall or fail, more oil drilling and exploration inevitably mean more spills and a greater impact on the environment.

"When protections are stripped away, the land absorbs the consequences first, and then the community absorbs the consequences," said Nauri Simmonds, executive director of Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic, per Inside Climate News.

What's being done about the environmental damage?

Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic and two environmental organizations have filed suit against the oil exploration in the area. However, Judge Sharon L. Gleason of the U.S. District Court in Alaska said she has denied a preliminary injunction against ConocoPhillips, so the activity will continue while the suit is decided.

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