CBC by FP.  A major stumbling block in the decades-long effort to build the $16.2-billion Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline could be cleared at the end of this month.  “We’re told the Joint Review Panel will be releasing its report at the end of this month, on December 31,” Bob McLeod (NGP Photo), the Northwest Territories’ Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment, said in an interview in Calgary Tuesday.   *   Green Life.   A panel examining the social and environmental effects of a delayed Arctic natural gas pipeline is expected to meet its latest deadline – barely.   *  Reuters by Jeffery Jones.  Reuters The McKenzie Delta, location of the delayed Mackenzie natural gas pipeline. After decades of setbacks, work on the pipeline has not started, and it’s not entirely clear it ever will. 

ADN by Dan Joling.   The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission and the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope, a federally recognized tribal government representing Alaska North Slope communities, asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a drilling plan the Minerals Management Service approved in October.  Hours later, a coalition of 10 environmental groups and Arctic communities filed a second action with the San Francisco court, claiming the MMS did not properly evaluate the effects of the proposed drilling, including the risk of a major spill.  *    E&E News (12/15, subs. req’d) reports, “A coalition of environmental and Alaska Native groups today sued the Interior Department over its approval of plans by Shell Offshore Inc. to drill two exploration wells in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea. Shell obtained the two leases during oil and gas lease sales in 2005 and 2007. Because the sales were included in the 2002-2007 five-year offshore leasing program, they are not affected by a recent court decision that sent the 2007-2012 program back to MMS for additional analysis. Prior to drilling, Shell must obtain an approved application for permit to drill from MMS, the agency said, and the plan must be consistent with the Alaska Coastal Zone Management Program. Shell must also meet the air and water quality rules of U.S. EPA and the Marine Mammal Protection Act requirements of the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, MMS said.   *     Governor Sean Parnell (NGP Photo) expressed his disappointment at the news that a coalition of environmental groups has sued the U.S. Department of the Interior to block oil and gas drilling next year in the Beaufort Sea. The governor has directed his attorney general to review the complaint and determine what role the state can play in fighting this litigation.  “Responsible resource development can take place in the Arctic, and lawsuits such as these stand in the way of economic progress and are a threat to our state,” Governor Parnell said. “We will continue to work with operators, agencies and North Slope residents to ensure that all exploration and development in the Outer Continental Shelf are conducted in a safe and environmentally responsible fashion. We are committed to work cooperatively with Mayor Edward Itta (NGP Photo-l) to address issues of concern regarding development of Alaska’s OCS.”  Alaska’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) contains an estimated 27 billion barrels of recoverable oil and 130 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas.