Overview
- U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason denied a bid to halt the program, clearing ConocoPhillips Alaska to continue winter operations in the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska while the lawsuit proceeds.
- Gleason wrote that the Bureau of Land Management conducted a reasonably thorough analysis, noted planned mitigation, and is not required to prevent all surface impacts in the reserve.
- BLM approved the exploration plan in late November for seismic work and up to four wells, then issued a December revision reflecting policies that reopen most of the reserve to leasing.
- Plaintiffs Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic, the Center for Biological Diversity, and The Wilderness Society allege a rushed, nontransparent review and warn of risks to caribou and migratory bird habitat; their case names Interior, BLM, and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
- After a mobile rig toppled during transport last week, the company said it will use a substitute rig and emphasized tens of millions already invested and the need for timely winter activity to preserve lease rights.