Federal Judge Rejects Enviro Groups' Call to Halt Winter Construction on Alaska Willow Project

U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska Judge Sharon Gleason rejected an appeal by environmental groups and allowed winter construction of the drilling operations at the Willow oil project to proceed. The judge cited the fact that "...only a small area of the (National Petroleum) Reserve will be impacted."

The Willow project is broadly supported by Alaskans. The state's economy depends in large part on North Slope drilling and extraction jobs, many of which are in areas where there are few, if any, alternatives; the Native communities, in particular, are anxious for the jobs increased development will bring to the region.

Approval of the project was a rare break from the Biden administration, which has routinely given a thumbs-down on any proposed oil or gas development proposals. That approval was challenged almost immediately, leading to last month's decision, also by Judge Gleason, upholding the legality of the approval.

A ruling halting construction now would have set the project back at least another year, regardless of the final decision in the case. But with the rejection of the proposed halt, ConocoPhillips will proceed now with the construction of ice roads, gravel mining, and other set-up operations required to bring the extraction online.

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Colorado Eyes Reintroduction of Wolverines

Presumably, Colorado has already solved every other problem facing the state because now, the state's Parks and Wildlife agency is considering the reintroduction of wolverines into their stretch of the Rocky Mountains.

Wolverines — also called “mountain devils” and “skunk bears” — could be the next large mammal reintroduced in Colorado after wildlife officials implement the voter-mandated reintroduction of wolves by the end of the year.

The wolf issue, by the way, is a textbook example of why wildlife management issues shouldn't be on the ballot. It's a safe bet that most of the folks who voted to reintroduce wolves into Colorado, into the environment, aren't the same people who live out in the environment (when I was a kid, we called it "the country"), and if the wolverine issue is likewise put on the ballot, it's a safe bet that this will be repeated.

“The governor continues to join so many Coloradans who share his enthusiasm for reintroducing the native wolverine, last spotted in 2009 in our state, to better restore ecological balance in wild Colorado areas,” Gov. Jared Polis’ spokesman, Conor Cahill, said in a statement. “The governor is hopeful that a successful wolverine reintroduction program will begin during his time as governor.”

Here's a question for the governor: Why? What will Colorado gain that will make this expenditure worthwhile? Even assuming a successful reintroduction, which is far from certain, the wolverine is not only a wilderness animal but a very secretive one.

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