Conoco Alaska Drilling With ‘Chillers’ Provokes Groups’ Suit

Three environmental groups say they filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the Interior Department’s approval of a plan allowing ConocoPhillips Alaska to expand oil exploration in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska, challenges the Bureau of Land Management’s October final approval of the Willow Master Development Plan for the reserve, which would allow Conoco to produce 590 million barrels of oil over 30 years.

In its environmental review of Conoco’s proposal, the land bureau failed to adequately assess the climate impacts of the Willow project, said Jeremy Lieb, an associate ...