NOIA Praises US Approval for Shell Arctic Drilling
National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) President Randall Luthi today issued a statement offering his praise of Royal Dutch Shell’s revised Application to Drill in the Chukchi Sea.
The Interior Department granted Shell final approval to drill into the oil zone in the Chukchi Sea off northern Alaska after the Fennica, an icebreaker the company leases that carries an emergency capping stack, was repaired after suffering a gash in its hull.
“Secretary Jewell and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement are to be commended for the logical decision allowing Shell to safely proceed with exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea. Other nations are pursuing their offshore Arctic oil and natural gas programs, and as Chair of the Arctic Council, the U.S. should be leading the way,” Luthi said.
"Shell has stationed safety and support equipment on site and has done everything asked and more, with the approval of federal regulators, to set up for this short drilling season – with no guarantee of success.”
“Many agree that there is huge potential for oil and natural gas in the Arctic, but the only way to prove such resources exist is to actually explore. It is time to move forward so that Alaskans can benefit from increased economic and energy development off their shores, and the U.S. can reap the rewards of increased energy security.”