http://www.alaskadispatch.com/dispatches/energy/7684-white-house-oks-potential-alaska-offshore-drilling
This is the price we pay for banning oil on the East and West coasts and in the Gulf of Mexico. DV
Patti Epler | Dec 1, 2010
The White House has decided to allow potential drilling in areas off Alaska’s northern coast, but officials say they’ll be cautious when deciding to approve exploration plans and leases. According to an Associated Press story (via the Anchorage Daily News), the federal government won’t pursue exploration off of the East Coast and Florida for at least the next seven years. Read much more from the AP, here.
Meanwhile, both Alaska senators are applauding the decision because it means Shell oil company may be able to move ahead with plans to drill an exploratory well in the Beaufort Sea this coming summer. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said in a press release that Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar called her this morning to tell her that all existing leases not under congressional moratorium would be honored. That means Interior will resume consideration of Shell’s application to drill test wells in the Beaufort in summer 2011, she said.
“This isn’t a slam dunk but it’s a step in the right direction, at least in Alaska,” Murkowski said.
Shell’s Alaska spokesman, Curtis Smith, said in an e-mail that the company is hopeful the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will complete its review in an expeditious manner.
“Today’s announcement was a positive one for Alaska and acknowledges that responsible oil and gas exploration can take place in the Arctic,” Smith said. “While Shell continues to make plans to drill in 2011; a final decision on our Beaufort Sea drilling permit is needed soon for Shell to continue to pursue 2011 exploration drilling.”
Environmental groups, who are still opposed to offshore drilling in the Arctic until companies demonstrate they can respond to and clean up an oil spill there, took Salazar’s announcement a bit differently, interpreting it as a statement that more environmental review is needed before Shell can proceed in the Beaufort Sea.
The groups were glad to hear that there will be a supplemental environmental assessment, although Shell said the review is essentially the same one that has already been done. More than a dozen local and national conservation organizations joined in the prepared statement and called for a full environmental impact statement before Shell can proceed. That process generally takes at least a year.
Special thanks to Richard Charter