A coalition of Native tribal governments, commercial fisherman and environmentalists has filed an administrative appeal to block a wastewater discharge permit for oil and gas operators in southern Alaska's Cook Inlet, Reuters reported.
The appeal, filed in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, challenges a general permit issued by the Environmental Protection Agency that allows established oil and gas production facilities to discharge wastes directly into the inlet's marine waters.
The new permit, scheduled to go into effect on July 2, covers 16 offshore oil and gas platforms and three onshore facilities in Cook Inlet, said Dianne Soderlund, communications coordinator for EPA's Alaska oil and gas section.
It will also cover any exploration, development and production facilities that are erected in the inlet in the next five years.
Companies with oil and gas produced from platforms covered by the new wastewater permit are Chevron, Marathon Oil, Unocal, Forest Oil and XTO Energy, according to state reports.
Source: Reuters