The federal government gave Royal Dutch Shell on Monday the final permit needed to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean off the coast of Alaska, The Associated Press reports. It marks the first time they will be able to do so in more than 20 years.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement approved the drilling after Shell obtained a piece of equipment that would stop a possible well blowout. Before that, the company had been limited to drilling in the top sections of two Chukchi Sea wells.
Shell, which called the move a potential "game changer" for domestic production, has until late September to drill this season, during which they plan to drill two exploration wells. It's estimated the U.S. Arctic holds about 26 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Environmental advocacy groups have long opposed offshore drilling, citing its potential harm to polar bears, walruses, and other animals already threatened by climate change.
-
August 23 editorial cartoonsCartoons Saturday's political cartoons include deficit dimness, steamroller-in-chief, and more
-
5 museum-grade cartoons about Trump's Smithsonian purgeCartoons Artists take on institutional rebranding, exhibit interpretation, and more
-
Settling the West Bank: a death knell for a Palestine state?In the Spotlight The reality on the ground is that the annexation of the West Bank is all but a done deal
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstancesSpeed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governorSpeed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditionsSpeed Read
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billionSpeed Read
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on recordSpeed Read
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homesSpeed Read
-
Scotland seeking 'monster hunters' to search for fabled Loch Ness creatureSpeed Read
