"The Obama administration said Monday it was moving forward with oil-drilling leases off the coast of Alaska issued by the Bush administration in 2008, a victory for oil companies in the battle over Arctic Ocean drilling."
"The Interior Department said it would uphold nearly 500 leases issued in the Chukchi Sea after several environmental groups challenged the sale of the leases in court.
The department's decision came in response to the lawsuit filed by environmental groups, and those groups still had the option of challenging the department's determination.
Among the companies securing leases in what is known as Lease Sale 193 was Royal Dutch Shell PLC, the energy giant already at the center of another high-profile fight to secure permits to drill in the Arctic."
Tennille Tracy reports for the Wall St. Journal October 4, 2011.
SEE ALSO:
"Chukchi Sea Lease Sale Back in Court; Federal Agency Says Environmental Work Was Complete" (AP)
"When It Comes To Arctic Oil Drilling, All Geopolitics Are Local" (Foreign Policy)
"US Government Breaks the Ice in Arctic Drilling Dispute" (Hearst/Houston Chronicle)
"U.S. Regulators Promise Oversight Of Offshore Drilling Contractors" (The Two-Way/NPR)
"U.S. To Regulate Contractors of Offshore Oil Firms" (Reuters)
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