Environmental groups have launched a new legal challenge to Shell Oil Co.’s plans to begin exploratory drilling in Arctic waters near Alaska this summer.  More »

The Cafe du Parc at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washington is bustling with D.C. tourists and buttoned-down business travelers.  More »

Federal regulators are vetting Shell’s plans to drill 10 wells in Arctic waters near Alaska ahead of planned testing of oil spill response equipment later this year. Shell still has to convince regulators that it can contain oil and gas in case of a blown out well in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas.  More »

Norway is grappling with how to turn last year’s oil and gas finds in the Arctic Circle into real money as the world’s seventh-largest crude exporter seeks to sustain output after more than 40 years of extraction.  More »

Rosneft, Russia’s largest oil producer, and Italy’s Eni have signed a deal to jointly explore for oil and gas in Russia’s Arctic.  More »

Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM), the largest U.S. oil producer, and Russian energy company OAO Rosneft (ROSN) will present details of their $3.2 billion joint-exploration agreement to analysts in New York on April 18.  More »

A solid majority of Americans are more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who supports developing more natural gas, boosting federal support for renewable-energy use and research, and approving construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, a new poll found.  More »

Icy conditions, dark days and a lack of infrastructure could hinder efforts to clean up an oil spill in remote Arctic waters near Alaska, government auditors said in a new report Friday. The assessment by the Government Accountability Office, Congress’ investigative arm, shed light on what the agency said were unique “environmental challenges” surrounding Shell Oil Co.’s planned drilling in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas this summer.  More »

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski has invited President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama for a milkshake to discuss producing oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge — all while drilling for it from outside the area.  More »

Federal officials have approved Shell Oil Co.’s emergency plans for dealing with an oil spill in the Beaufort Sea near Alaska — a major hurdle for the firm to launch exploratory drilling later this year.  More »

The Obama administration is asking the oil and gas industry to weigh in on a possible sale of drilling leases in the Cook Inlet off the coast of south-central Alaska.  More »

House Republicans plan to try to rework and revive stalled legislation that would link expanded oil and gas production with highway and road projects, a top GOP lawmaker said.  More »