US appeals court weighs new Gulf drilling plans

ATLANTA (AP) — Environmental groups urged an appeals court on Wednesday to block Shell from drilling 10 new deep-water wells off Alabama's coast, arguing that federal regulators haven't properly reviewed the risks of undersea drilling in the aftermath of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill.

The coalition of green groups told the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that federal regulators merely "rubber-stamped" Shell's plans to drill the wells in the same canyon where the blowout of BP's Macondo well triggered an explosion that killed 11 rig workers and unleashed a gusher that spewed more than 200 million gallons (757 million liters) of oil into the Gulf. Netherlands-based Shell is a subsidiary of UK-based Royal Dutch Shell PLC.