"JUNEAU, Alaska -- A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that the U.S. Interior Department wrongly awarded offshore oil leases in the Chukchi Sea near Alaska in 2008 without considering the full range of environmental risks posed by drilling in the Arctic."
"A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sent the on-going dispute - pitting environmental groups and Native Alaska tribes against the federal government and energy companies - back to U.S. District in Anchorage, Alaska.
It was not immediately clear what the decision would mean for the oil company Royal Dutch Shell Plc and its plans, revealed in December, to resume exploratory drilling this coming summer in the Chukchi."
Steve Quinn reports for Reuters January 23, 2014.
SEE ALSO:
"Court Decision May Cloud Arctic Drilling Plans" (National Journal)
"Appeals Court Ruling Could Delay Further U.S. Arctic Drilling" (Bloomberg)
"Court Rules Offshore Oil Leases in Alaska Arctic Are Too Flawed" (Anchorage Daily News)
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