Chukchi drilling
By
Editorial
Fairbanks Daily News Miner
January 10, 2010
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Shell can drill three exploratory wells in the Chukchi.
The story didn’t get much attention the other day, but the news that Shell oil company has been granted preliminary approval for one of its final permits for drilling in the Chukchi Sea later this year is an important development for Alaska.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Shell can drill three exploratory wells in the Chukchi. The permit, still subject to final EPA approval and to appeal, would allow Shell’s drilling fleet to work at a site that, at its closest, is about 60 miles off the Alaska coast. The Interior Department gave its approval in early December.
The decision would allow Shell to drill from July to October.
