Enviros appeal Chukchi lease sale ruling

In the latest twist in a long standing appeal case challenging the legality of the 2008 Chukchi Sea lease sale in which Shell, ConocoPhillips, Statoil and other companies purchased leases, a group of environmental organizations have notified the federal District Court in Alaska that they are appealing a March 31 Department of the Interior decision affirming the holding of the lease sale. The plaintiffs in the case say that they will file a proposed schedule for the litigation by June 15.

The Interior decision came after a court-mandated rework of the environmental impact statement for the sale. The rework, ordered by the District Court, followed a decision by the Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit to uphold some aspects of the appeal. The appeal, which was launched in 2008, claims that Interior’s assessment of the potential environmental impacts of the sale has been inadequate, thus rendering the holding of sale illegal. The rework of the environmental impact statement that Interior completed this year was the second rework that the agency has had to conduct as a consequence of the appeal.

Shell plans to continue exploration drilling this year in Chukchi Sea leases that the company purchased in the disputed lease sale. Environmental organizations vehemently oppose Arctic offshore oil exploration and have been obstructing exploration activities through litigation.

- Alan Bailey