Dark money eco group appears to be astroturfing opposition to major oil project

Apparent grassroots opposition to the Willow Project — a proposed oil drilling project proponents say would boost energy security — is being driven by a dark money eco group.

The viral trend, which has garnered at least 650 million views across platforms, appears to have originated from the group Stop Willow, which boosts the hashtag on its website and provides advocates with information and resources about the Willow Project. Stop Willow's information — such as its claim that the project would "add more than 280 million metric tons of climate pollution to the atmosphere" — is often cited in social media posts. Thomas Catenacci is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.

"Willow would emit more climate pollution annually than more than 99.7% of all single point sources in the country," the group states on its website. "Willow is a climate disaster we just can’t afford."