June 11 (Reuters) - A divided federal appeals court rejectedan effort by environmental groups to void a U.S. agency'sapproval of two oil spill response plans by Royal Dutch ShellPlc related to the company's oil leases in the Beaufortand Chukchi seas on Alaska's Arctic coast.
By a 2-1 vote, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals onThursday rejected a claim that the federal Bureau of Safety andEnvironmental Enforcement, which is part of the Department ofthe Interior, acted unlawfully in approving the plans, whichrelate to leases from 2005, 2007 and 2008.
Many environmental advocates oppose offshore energyexploration in the Arctic, on concern that any spill might provedifficult to clean up once production begins.
(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by ChizuNomiyama)
