Obama Administration Approves Shell's Drilling Plan For The Arctic
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/11/obama-shell-arctic-drilling_n_7259594.html
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration on Monday granted conditional approval to Shell to begin exploratory drilling in the Arctic, which the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said would be "subject to rigorous safety standards.”
The approval will allow Shell Gulf of Mexico, Inc. to begin drilling this summer in the Chukchi Sea, off the northwest coast of Alaska. Shell's drilling plan proposes up to six wells in an area about 70 miles offshore.
"We have taken a thoughtful approach to carefully considering potential exploration in the Chukchi Sea, recognizing the significant environmental, social and ecological resources in the region and establishing high standards for the protection of this critical ecosystem, our Arctic communities, and the subsistence needs and cultural traditions of Alaska Natives," BOEM Director Abigail Ross Hopper said in a statement.
BOEM said that the Interior Department's proposed rules for Arctic drilling, announced in February, would further enhance the safety of operations in the region, and that Shell's drilling plan already conforms with many provisions in the proposed rules. Those rules have not yet been finalized and are open for public comment through May 27.
Shell has been seeking the Interior Department's approval for Arctic drilling operations since 2009.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/11/obama-shell-arctic-drilling_n_7259594.html
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration on Monday granted conditional approval to Shell to begin exploratory drilling in the Arctic, which the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said would be "subject to rigorous safety standards.”
The approval will allow Shell Gulf of Mexico, Inc. to begin drilling this summer in the Chukchi Sea, off the northwest coast of Alaska. Shell's drilling plan proposes up to six wells in an area about 70 miles offshore.
"We have taken a thoughtful approach to carefully considering potential exploration in the Chukchi Sea, recognizing the significant environmental, social and ecological resources in the region and establishing high standards for the protection of this critical ecosystem, our Arctic communities, and the subsistence needs and cultural traditions of Alaska Natives," BOEM Director Abigail Ross Hopper said in a statement.
BOEM said that the Interior Department's proposed rules for Arctic drilling, announced in February, would further enhance the safety of operations in the region, and that Shell's drilling plan already conforms with many provisions in the proposed rules. Those rules have not yet been finalized and are open for public comment through May 27.
Shell has been seeking the Interior Department's approval for Arctic drilling operations since 2009.
