Pew Environment Group excited about Obama’s expected suspension of oil-drilling
May 27th, 2010 - 11:19 pm ICT by BNO NewsWASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) – President Barack Obama’s administration is expected to announce on Thursday that any applications for exploratory drilling in the Arctic will be suspended until 2011, the Pew Environment Group said.
“We are very pleased with the President’s decision to suspend Arctic exploration drilling this summer,” Marilyn Heiman, director of the Pew Environment Group’s U.S. Arctic Program, said. “A delay until 2011 will provide the affected communities and agencies the opportunity to further study proposed drilling technology, oil spill response capabilities and the effects of oil drilling in the sensitive Arctic marine environment.”
“Unlike the Gulf, the proposed drilling sites in the Arctic Ocean, the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas are in some of the most remote areas on earth. They are thousands of miles away from spill response infrastructure equipment and personnel. Eight foot seas in the Gulf sidelined initial cleanup efforts. Arctic waters have extreme weather conditions where 20 foot seas and moving sea ice are the norm.”
Environmentalists may be thrilled with the expected announcement, but the decision could be representing a major setback to Royal Dutch Shell PLC, which was planning an oil-drilling program in the mentioned areas off Alaska.
“No new oil leasing, exploration or production should take place until the president’s independent commission completes its process and reforms are implemented,” Heiman added.
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