June 21st, 2008
Shell edges closer to Arctic drilling, but still has to delay
Shell Oil has obtained one of its needed permits to begin exploratory drilling offshore in Alaska. It got the EPA’s permissions to release a certain amount of nitrogen oxides at each of its proposed drilling sites. The EPA says that is the amount released annually by 1500 school buses. And why did they use the school bus metric, I want to know? Because it sounds so benign?
Shell’s proposed wells would be in the Beaufort Sea, a portion of the Arctic Ocean that touches northern Alaska and Canada. Those wells will not happen unless Shell also obtains other agency permits, and wins a US court case which now has the well drilling unde rinjunction. As a result of the federal court case Shell said it would NOT try to drill this year, meaning another year’s delay. In fact Shell has indicated it may more than a decade to begin actual production in the Beuafort Sea oillease area. In this Presidential election year offshore oil drilling has already become a political issue along with gasoline prices
BTW: the EPA does not regulate CO2 emissions from oil wells or other sources.
A newsman since 1969, Harry Fuller has worked for CBS, ABC, CNBC Europe, CNET and was founding news director at TechTV. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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