Mon, 02/15/2021 - 12:52pm
The Doyon Drilling Rig 141 is seen working at the ConocoPhillips Willow prospect on the eastern edge of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The company received a record of decision on Oct. 27, 2020, approving its plan for the massive project that could produce up to 160,000 barrels of oil per day, but a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision issued Feb. 13 halted its 2021 winter work plans. (Photo/Judy Patrick/ConocoPhillips)
A federal appeals court has sided with conservation and Indigenous groups and halted winter work at a major ConocoPhillips oil project on Alaska’s North Slope.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Feb. 13 issued the six-page decision, by 9th Circuit Judges William Canby and Michelle Friedland.
Federal appeals panel stops work on ConocoPhillips’ Willow project Published February 14
Share on Facebook
Print article A federal appeals court has sided with conservation and Indigenous groups and halted winter work at a major ConocoPhillips oil project on Alaska’s North Slope. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Saturday issued the six-page decision, by 9th Circuit Judges William Canby and Michelle Friedland, on Saturday. The decision will halt on-the-ground work at Willow for the year, said Natalie Lowman, a spokeswoman with ConocoPhillips, in an email Sunday. Winter activity at developing projects on Alaska’s North Slope is supported by ice roads that melt in the spring, sharply reducing on-the-ground activity for all but a handful of months. The project, among the most promising North Slope prospects, was expected to employ about 120 people this year.