Shell, of course, says there is nothing to worry about. In an e-mail to the Associated Press, Shell VP Pete Slaiby told the AP's Dan Joling: "We are working hard to identify additional measures that could be incorporated into the (safety) program." Do tell.
May 15th, 2010:
Despite massive Gulf oil spill, offshore oil drilling starts soon in the Arctic Ocean
Blowout Complicates Plan to Drill in Arctic
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
MAY 15, 2010
By JIM CARLTON
ANCHORAGE, AlaskaPlans by Royal Dutch Shell PLC to begin exploratory oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean this summer are drawing increased scrutiny in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Interior Department officialsunder pressure from native and environmental groups to halt the activitysay their final drilling permits will be contingent on new safety reviews.
Last fall, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved Shell’s plans to drill five exploratory wells in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas after the area was opened to oil and gas leasing in 2008 by the Bush administration. But Interior still has to sign off on the permits, and officials there now say their decision would rest, in part, on the outcome of a federal review President Barack Obama ordered completed by May 28 of safety issues pertaining to drilling in U.S. offshore waters.