Democrats and environmentalists push to kill Shell's Arctic drilling project

[Ed Barrow]

Source: The Guardian

The Obama administration is coming under intense pressure from Democrats in Congress and environmentalists to shelve a Shell offshore drilling project in the Arctic.

The interior secretary, Ken Salazar, is due to give final approvals this week to a Shell exploration project in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas off the northern coast of Alaska. He told Congress today that new regulations would help assure greater safety. "We need to move forward with oil and gas development," he said. "Nothing in life is risk-free … How do you create a program that does in fact minimize those risks?"

Work on the Shell project could get underway as early as July, and environmental groups say the administration has approved nearly 700 other projects in the Arctic.

...

The New York Times has demanded a stay, in an editorial arguing it made no sense to go ahead with drilling in an even more environmentally sensitive area until the safety issues that led to the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico had been resolved.


Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/may/26/shell-alaska-drilling-oil-gas

[Kingofalldems]

1. No more drilling until safety is guaranteed--enought of this

[Myrina]

2. "How do you create a program that does in fact minimize those risks"

... if you don't have the answer to that question, Mr. Salazar, then you don't allow Shell's project to begin. Period.

[Owl]

3. Good. We've already British Pet. ruining the Gulf. We don't need Dutch Shell ruining the Arctic.

[TomCADem]

4. Palin Argues That Gulf Oil Spill Shows That We SHOULD Drill In The Artic Reserve

Yes, it is mind boggling, but she is using the oil spill to justify more drilling in environmentally sensitive areas.