Appeals court rejects challenge to fed approval of Shell exploratory drilling plan in Arctic
By Dan Joling, APThursday, May 13, 2010
Court OKs approval of Shell Arctic drilling plan
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A federal appeals court has rejected a lawsuit challenging federal approval of Shell Oil’s exploratory drilling plan in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas off Alaska’s coast.
Three judges from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard the case last week in Portland, Ore. In a brief opinion Thursday, the court said the federal Minerals Management Service met its obligations to consider the potential threat to wildlife and the risk for disaster before it approved the Shell project.
The ruling removes an obstacle for Shell, which hopes to drill three exploratory wells in the Chukchi and two in the Beaufort this summer.
The Arctic project manager for the environmental group Oceana says the decision is disappointing in light of the ongoing crude oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
