The Biden administration will approve the large Willow oil project on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope, two people familiar with the decision said Monday.

The decision, one of President Biden’s most sweeping climate decisions, is likely to be condemned by environmentalists who say it goes against Democratic presidents’ climate commitments.

Climate activists are outraged that Biden seemed willing to greenlight the project, which they say jeopardized his climate legacy. If oil company ConocoPhillips gave permission to move forward with the drilling plan, it would also break Biden’s campaign promise to halt new oil drilling on public lands, they say.

The administrative decision probably won’t be the last word, and a lawsuit is expected regardless of the outcome.

ConocoPhillips’ Willow project in Alaska could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil per day, create up to 2,500 jobs during construction and 300 long-term jobs, and generate billions of dollars in royalties and tax revenue for federal, state and local governments. say.

Located in the federally designated National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, the project enjoys broad political support in the state. Alaska Native lawmakers recently met with Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland to push for support for Willow.

But environmentalists have promoted a #StopWillow campaign on social media to remind Biden of his commitments to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions and promote clean energy.

The administrative decision comes after the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, as part of an environmental review, put forward a development option in February requesting up to three drilling sites initially, which it said would include a total of about 219 wells. ConocoPhillips Alaska said it considered that option workable.

Alaska’s Republican U.S. senators had warned that any further restrictions could destroy the project, rendering it economically unviable.

But the land management agency noted that the final decision could look different, and the interior ministry said it had deep concerns about the project and the option the agency put forward, including direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions. and impacts on wildlife and the livelihoods of Alaska’s native people.

Alaska’s bipartisan congressional delegation met with Biden and his advisers in early March to make their case for the project, while environmental groups rallied opposition and urged opponents of the project to put pressure on the government.