Monday, April 25, 2011

EPA Rules Force Shell to Abandon Oil Drilling Plans

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And every other state to boot.
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Shell Oil Company has announced it must scrap efforts to drill for oil this summer in the Arctic Ocean off the northern coast of Alaska. The decision comes following a ruling by the EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board to withhold critical air permits. The move has angered some in Congress and triggered a flurry of legislation aimed at stripping the EPA of its oil drilling oversight.

Shell has spent five years and nearly $4 billion dollars on plans to explore for oil in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. The leases alone cost $2.2 billion. Shell Vice President Pete Slaiby says obtaining similar air permits for a drilling operation in the Gulf of Mexico would take about 45 days. He’s especially frustrated over the appeal board’s suggestion that the Arctic drill would somehow be hazardous for the people who live in the area. “We think the issues were really not major,” Slaiby said, “and clearly not impactful for the communities we work in.”

1 comment:

  1. And this is news??? Oil platforms off CA (years ago... probably worse now) Oil companies bought drilling rights, drilled wells, (and had to man platforms for fire protection & such) and CA fought them tooth and nail to keep the valves shut (did I mention wells were drilled)??? It took SEVEN years to get the valves open on Habitat (or Harvest... the mind dims)... With this kind of crap, I'm amazed gas is as cheap as it is

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