ConocoPhillips Can’t Keep Oil Well Data Secret, Panel Rules

Alaska officials can disclose ConocoPhillips’ exploratory data for oil and gas wells in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday reversing a lower court.

Federal law doesn’t preempt a state law requiring ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc. to disclose the well data it wanted to keep confidential, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled.

The court reversed the US District Court for the District of Alaska’s ruling in favor of ConocoPhillips that prevented the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission from disclosing the well data.

ConocoPhillips should ...