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ByStevenDuboisand Dan Joling The Associated Press PORTLAND,ORE. Afederal judge in Alaska on Thurs- day ordered Greenpeace USA to pay a fine of $2,500 for every hour that protest- ers dangle from a bridge in Oregon and block a Royal Dutch Shell icebreaker from leaving for oil drill- ing in the Arctic. There was no sign that the protesters were going to abandon the blockade in Portland after the rul- ing in Anchorage by U.S. District Court Judge Sha- ron Gleason that Green- peace is in civil contempt. Greenpeace USA Execu- tive Director Annie Leon- ard said the activists will stay in place for now. "We are confronted with a huge decision, one we cannot make alone," she said in a statement. "Right now we're asking the ac- tivists what they think we should do next." Gleason in May granted Shell's request that activ- ists protesting Shell's Arc- tic drilling plans be or- dered to stay away from company vessels and be- yond buffer zones. Earlier in the day, the Shell oil icebreaker Fen- nica retreated when ac- tivists dangling from the St. Johns Bridge over the Willamette River refused to leave and to let the ves- sel pass. Protesters on the bridge and kayakers on the river have been blocking the ice- breakerfromheadingtothe Arctic for a drill operation. The Fennica arrived in Portland for repairs last week. The vessel was dam- aged earlier this month in the Aleutian Islands when it struck an underwater obstruction, tearing a gash in its hull. It resumed its journey to the Arctic early Thursday before stopping in the face of 13 dangling activists linked by ropes. The ship turned around and inched its way back to dry dock, delighting people gathered on shore in the city known for environmentalism. The U.S. Coast Guard warned the danglers that they were breaking the law but took no action. Petty Officer 1st Class George Degener did not elaborate. He also said the agency had not told the icebreaker to turn around. PORTLAND Fines ordered as long as ship blocked from heading to Arctic By Martin Crutsinger The Associated Press WASHINGTON The U.S. economy isn't moving at warp speed, but it looks like it will be strong enough to handle an expected interest rate increase later this year. Fueled by solid consumer spending, Thursday's report on the gross domestic prod- uct underscored the steady growth that is likely to bol- ster the Federal Reserve's case that it will soon be time to make a move, per- haps in September. The economy's total out- put of goods and services rebounded to a respectable annual rate of 2.3 percent in the April-June quarter, the best showing since last summer. Moreover, the first quarter managed to grow a slight 0.6 percent, reversing an earlier government esti- mate of a contraction. "The fact that the econ- omy improved meaning- fully in the second quarter and is likely to strengthen further in the current quar- ter should keep a Septem- ber rate hike on the table," said Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets. While the latest figures fall short of a boom, the United States appears in better shape than other ma- jor economics of the world. China — the world's sec- ond-biggest economy — has seen a sharp drop in stock prices recently. Meanwhile, Europe has been consumed with resolving a stubborn debt crisis in Greece. The International Mon- etary Fund is forecasting that the 19 nations that use the euro currency will grow a modest 1.5 percent this year. It expects China to expand 6.8 percent, which would be the slowest growth rate for the country in 25 years. In the United States, economists are hopeful that the 1.5 percent aver- age growth from January through June will double in the second half of this year to around 3 percent. The optimism stems from projected trends in consumer spending, which should strengthen further in coming months thanks to robust job gains. Unem- ployment hit a seven-year low of 5.3 percent in June, but the Fed says it wants to see more. It remains con- cerned about wage growth and the number of part- time workers unable to find full-time jobs. The Fed also needs to be convinced that price gains will eventually rise toward its target of 2 percent a year. Inflation has been running well below that level for some time, a situation that policymakers view as a sign of a still-weak economy. The GDP report did offer some encouragement on the inflation front. A price mea- sure tied to GDP rose at an annual rate of 2.2 percent in the second quarter. Exclud- ing food and energy costs, the price index rose by 1.8 percent, up from 1 percent gains in the two previous quarters. 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