By Dan Levine
SAN FRANCISCO, June 2 (Reuters) - Several environmentalgroups sued the United States on Tuesday to derail Royal DutchShell PLC's plan to drill in the Arctic Ocean as soonas July.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, an agency within theU.S. Department of the Interior, gave conditional approval inMay to Shell's resumption of fossil fuel exploration in theArctic, which was paused after a mishap-filled 2012 season.
The decision was met with approval by some Alaska lawmakers,who believe it will bring money and jobs to the state, as wellas protests from environmentalists.
The Sierra Club and nine other groups sought to overturn thegovernment's decision in a petition with the San Francisco-based9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday.
According to the petition, the plaintiffs are conservationand Alaska Native groups, the members of which "use and enjoythe affected area for recreational, aesthetic, or scientificpurposes or whose members depend on the ecosystems and wildlifeof the Arctic for subsistence, cultural, and traditional uses."
Shell representatives could not be reached for comment. Aspokeswoman for the U.S. Department of the Interior declined tocomment.
The Arctic is estimated to contain about 20 percent of theworld's undiscovered oil and natural gas, but its recovery couldbe decades away.
Environmental groups contend that weather conditions make itimpossible to safely drill in the Arctic, a region that helpsregulate the global climate because of its vast layers of seaice.
In approving Shell's plan, U.S. agencies said the companywould still have to obtain additional permits and biologicalopinions to protect resources, wildlife and workers. (Reporting by Dan Levine)
