Drilling for oil in Alaska seems to be on thin ice. The White House proposed tougher environmental protections last week for almost 5 million hectares of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, which it called 鈥渆cological treasure鈥�. Another treasure deep beneath is an estimated 10.3 billion barrels of oil.
The US Department of the Interior also announced plans to ban drilling in almost 4 million hectares off the Alaskan coast, in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas.
The moves show that the US is becoming more aware of its environmental responsibilities up north, says at The Arctic Institute, a think tank in Washington DC. 鈥淲e鈥檙e waking up a little bit towards the Arctic.鈥�
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Meanwhile, Shell said it was reviving plans to drill in the Chukchi Sea. The company had been forced to suspend operations in 2012 after several technical difficulties, including those related to plans for oil-spill recovery. The move has alarmed environmentalists, who say that Shell is still unprepared for a spill.
鈥淲e were hoping that Shell鈥檚 lessons from 2012 would give them caution when thinking about how to move forward,鈥� says of the Alaska Wilderness League, a non-profit organisation in Washington DC. 鈥淎s we learn more and more of what Shell is planning this year, we鈥檙e hoping the government takes a more cautious approach.鈥�
The multinational鈥檚 renewed plans face several hurdles. The drilling environment is harsh and remote, while oil prices have dropped significantly. Plus, it will have to obtain operating permits before the drilling can start.
鈥淪hell is really the only multinational corporation left that鈥檚 going to give this a shot,鈥� says Humpert. 鈥淥ne can argue that this is the last attempt of its kind to make Arctic drilling work.鈥�
