(Reuters) – A federal judge has rejected a bid by environmental- ists to temporarily suspend the U.S. government’s approval of Cono- coPhillips' multibillion-dollar oil drilling project in Alaska’s Arctic. U.S. District Judge Sharon Glea- son in Anchorage had been asked by environmental groups and a Native American community in two law- suits filed last month for an order blocking construction on the $7 bil- lion Willow project over concerns it would exacerbate climate change and damage pristine wildlife habitat. Gleason said an injunction was inappropriate because the groups wouldn't be irreparably harmed by the construction that ConocoPhil- lips has scheduled for this month, which includes building roads and a gravel mine. A ConocoPhillips spokesper- son said the decision will allow the company to begin construction ac- tivities "immediately," and said the project will provide "meaningful opportunities" for the state, its Na- tive American communities and for domestic U.S. energy production. The U.S. Interior Department declined to comment. The Biden administration ap- proved the project on March 13, drawing cheers from Alaskan of- ficials and the oil industry. Envi - ronmental opponents have said the development undermines President Joe Biden's highly publicized ef- forts to fight climate change. The approvals give ConocoPhil- lips permission to construct three drill pads, 25.8 miles of gravel roads, an air strip and hundreds of miles of ice roads. The 30-year project would produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil per day at its peak. Attempt to block Willow rejected
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The Alaska Miner
Spring 2023
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