Appeals court upholds Norway licenses for Arctic drilling The Norwegian government can hand out oil drilling licenses in the Arctic, dealing a second blow to environmental groups that had filed a lawsuit against further drilling in the Barents SeaCOPENHAGEN, Denmark -- An appeals court ruled Thursday that the Norwegian government can hand out oil drilling licenses in the Arctic, dealing a second blow to environmental groups that had sued against further drilling in the Barents Sea. The Borgarting court of appeal, said “like the district court, (it) concluded that the decision did not violate the Constitution.” The lower Oslo District Court ruled in January 2019. He warned the court against tipping the balance of power between elected officials and the justice system. The groups had sued Norway's Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in an attempt to invalidate a latest round of production licenses in the Barents Sea on the edge of the Arctic Ocean. According to Norwegian broadcaster NRK, the environmental groups immediately appealed Thursday's ruling.

Source: ABC News January 23, 2020 11:26 UTC