Associated Press: Shell Oil led a handful of petroleum companies in robust bidding Wednesday for outer continental shelf leases in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska’s northwest shore. The sale went forward over the protest of conservation and Native Alaska groups plus objections by U.S. congressional members outside the state, who said the Minerals Management Service should have held up the sale until a decision is made on protections for polar bears under the Endangered Species Act. Annell Bay, Shell …