A demonstrator protests against the Biden administration's approval of the Willow oil project in Washington, Tuesday, March 21, 2023.
Patrick Semansky/AP The massive Willow oil project on Alaska's North Slope can move forward, a federal judge in Anchorage ruled Thursday.
U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason rejected the claims of environmental groups, who argued the government's decision to approve the ConocoPhillips project didn't adequately consider its contribution to climate change and potential harm to the region's threatened polar bears.
The decision removes one of the last obstacles to the project, which would be the largest oil development on federal land in decades, and has become a flashpoint for climate activists.