By Katarzyna Klimasinska – Oct 21, 2011 10:46 PM GMT+0100
Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) won a final U.S. air-pollution permit to operate an oil-exploration rig in Alaskas Beaufort Sea beginning in 2012.
Shell is authorized to use its Kulluk rig and supporting icebreakers and oil-spill response vessels for 120 days each year in the Arctic waters, the Environmental Protection Agency said today in an e-mailed statement.
This air permit is one of several federal authorizations Shell needs to explore for oil and gas off Alaska starting in July 2012, the agency said. EPAs final permit significantly reduces the potential air pollution from Shells drilling operations.