Court blocks Bush-era Alaska offshore drilling

Interior Department is ordered to conduct environmental review

WASHINGTON – A Bush-era program to expand oil and gas drilling off the Alaska coast was blocked Friday by a federal appeals court because of environmental concerns.

The Bush administration’s Interior Department failed to consider the offshore environmental impact and marine life before approving an oil and gas leasing program in the Beaufort, Bering, and Chukchi seas, the three-judge panel in the District of Columbia ruled.

The seas are home to wildlife including polar bears, whales, seals, walruses and seabirds.

The appeals court ordered the Interior Department to conduct an environmental impact statement to assess risks before moving ahead with the program.

AP