Shell Wins Offshore Drilling Rights in Alaska

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/20/shell-wins-offshore-drilling-rights-in-alaska/?hp


After years of controversy and delays, a federal agency has given the green light to Royal Dutch Shell to drill for oil and gas in the Arctic Ocean.

The decision on Monday by the Minerals Management Service clears one of the last big hurdles for the company to drill two exploration wells on two offshore lease areas in the Beaufort Sea. The company plans to do the drilling between July and October 2010 — the next open-water season when the sea-ice melts.

The plan has raised considerable opposition both from environmental groups, who point to the risks of pollution in one of the most remote regions of North America, and native villagers, who have sustained themselves for centuries on whaling.

The villagers fear that drilling operations will disrupt the seasonal migrations of bowhead whales during the summer.

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:banghead:

yeah. Right.

:sarcasm:

think of all potential oil fields a thaw could reveal!

Not what I'd call a Royal Dutch treat.