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A federal appeals court ruled this week that the company can move ahead with its early stage construction this winter season at the controversial Willow oil project in Alaska. 

 

Conservation groups had gone to court to stop the construction but the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied their emergency motions reported the Anchorage Daily News.

 

The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said in a single sentence that it was denying the emergency motions seeking to stop the work, which is expected to wrap up by the end of the month. Several conservation groups have filed two lawsuits against the Interior Department to overturn the approval for the project.

 

The decision is another step forward for ConocoPhillips and the $8 billion project. The company is pursuing plans to produce up to 600 million barrels of oil from the giant field over three decades, starting as early as 2029.