Conoco gives up stake in North Slope project seen as precursor to gas line

Construction on Exxon Mobil’s Point Thomson field in December 2015. (Photo courtesy of Exxon Mobil/MSI Communications)
ConocoPhillips has confirmed it’s giving up its small stake in the Point Thomson field on the North Slope.
The move has some observers wondering if it’s a bad sign for the state’s effort to build a massive natural gas line.
Point Thomson is one of the state’s newest oil and gas projects. It’s about 60 miles east of Prudhoe Bay and started prod