Some of us in Alaska have been as attuned to Shell’s offshore drilling plans as we are to the summer Olympics. For years, we have watched Shell jump over hurdle after hurdle, much like a gold-medal Olympian, only to be delayed by baseless litigation by opposition groups and regulatory strangulation by the federal government. Now, with Shell in the final stages of approval by the feds, a final — hopefully surmountable — hurdle remains.
Currently, Shell is awaiting approval by the U.S. Coast Guard for its Arctic containment system — a barge named the Arctic Challenger tasked with assisting in the cleanup of an oil spill. Without this approval, the U.S. Department of the Interior will not issue the final permits to drill, and, consequently, Shell cannot begin moving its vessels into the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Delays and restrictions on the drilling season have already forced Shell to reduce the number of wells it can drill down to two. Further delays may seriously jeopardize Shell’s ability to drill even one well.