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Court order delays construction at ConocoPhillips' Alaska project

Published 02/07/2021, 05:05 PM
Updated 02/07/2021, 06:40 PM
© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. building overlooks the frozen Westchester Lagoon in downtown Anchorage

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. building overlooks the frozen Westchester Lagoon in downtown Anchorage

By Yereth Rosen

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - A weekend court ruling has temporarily blocked winter construction at a huge ConocoPhillips (NYSE:COP) oil project on Alaska's North Slope.

U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason issued an order Saturday barring ConocoPhillips from starting planned gravel mining and gravel-road construction at its Willow project. With an estimated 590 million barrels of oil and the potential to produce 160,000 barrels per day, Willow would be the westernmost operating oil field in Arctic Alaska. First oil is planned as early as 2024, according to ConocoPhillips.

Gleason's injunction came in response to an environmental lawsuit claiming the Trump administration’s Willow approval failed to properly consider wildlife and climate-change impacts. The judge last week rejected environmentalists' request for a more sweeping injunction. Her new order halts gravel-related work until at least Feb. 20, giving the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals time to weigh in.

ConocoPhillips had intended to start blasting gravel on Feb. 12, according to Gleason's order.

The plaintiffs have shown "there is a strong likelihood of irreparable environmental consequences once blasting operations commence," the order said. Additionally, the plaintiffs' arguments concerning climate change "could well be likely to succeed on the merits" at the appeals court, Gleason said.

Gleason's order does not stop construction of seasonal ice roads, which melt away in summer.

Plaintiff representatives noted that Biden is reviewing Trump administration oil policies, including the approval of Willow.

"We're hopeful this terrible project can be stopped, either by the courts or the Biden administration's review," Kristen Monsell, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement on Sunday. 

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. building overlooks the frozen Westchester Lagoon in downtown Anchorage

ConocoPhillips Alaska spokeswoman Rebecca Boys said by email that the company does not comment on pending litigation.

Latest comments

Just the beginning of Biden’s dark winter.. well, its not really him.. he is jist a puppet of the deep state.
These aren't just lost jobs. They're good paying jobs!!
This “judge” should be forced to pay, out of own pocket, salary to all folks losing their jobs because of her decision.
We Americans love to fight ourselves. We let our left arm fight the right. If not eniugh, we cut the ball off to feed the dog.
This is only the first week, in 4 years almost all the oil drilling company will be dead and we are at the mercy of middle eastern country again .We need drugs that can grow new *******
Yeah! More money for terrorists and Russians! Awesome policy. Super smart!
More jobs gone!
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