Shell clears key Arctic drilling hurdle, but must keep its rigs 15 miles apart

Shell Oil has cleared one more key regulatory hurdle in seeking to drill in the Arctic this summer, as the oil giant received a “letter of authorization” (LOA) from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service regarding potential disturbance to polar bears and walruses. The letter allows Shell to “take small numbers of polar bears and Pacific walrus incidental to activities” it plans for drilling this summer in the Chukchi Sea, about 75 miles northwest of the native village of Wainwright, Alaska. Shell’s Arctic drilling vessel the Noble Discoverer left Everett on Monday, bound for drilling exploratory wells in Alaska’s Chukchi Seat. (Daniella Beccaria, seattlepi.com) The LOA is one of the [...]