EPA Board Stops Shell's Clean Air Permits, Halting Arctic Drilling

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska Native and conservation groups have succeeded in challenging clean air permits granted to Shell Oil to drill exploration wells in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas.

Numerous groups alleged that Shell's permits granted by the Environmental Protection Agency would allow the company to emit tons of pollutants into the Arctic environment from a drill ship and support vessels.

The federal Environmental Appeals Board reviewed the permits and last week found that the EPA's analysis of the impact of nitrogen dioxide emissions from the ships on Alaska Native communities was too limited.

The board remanded the permits so that the analysis could be fixed by the EPA.

Shell spokesman Curtis Smith said without the permits the company can't proceed with its drilling plans in 2011.

Comments

[Zoidie]

06:03 PM on 01/06/2011

Gas needs to be $20.00 gallon before this country wakes up to the reality of what needs to happen to propel this country forward toward serious green energy alternatives.

[ajsandq]

03:23 PM on 01/06/2011

And meanwhile the price of oil is almost 100$ a barrel, gas prices are marching steadily forward (3.40$ in the Ak) a fact which will kill any prospects of strong economic recovery looking forward as disposable income is sucked up at the gas pump; not to mention the billions we sent overseas today to places like Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, oh, and the jobs which will now be shelved due to this ruling, oh, and the lost revenue to the state of Alaska and the Federal Gov… Yes a win-win situation all around which will do much to ensure our economic and security needs.

[Zoidie]

06:04 PM on 01/06/2011

Gas needs to be 20.00 gallon.

[ajsandq]

06:26 PM on 01/06/2011

You obviously have no grasp on reality and know nothing but nonsensical notions of a manufactured problem based upon faulty ideological propaganda spewed from sources which have co-opted the populations reasonable concerns regarding the need for clean air and water in an effort to grab power and concentrate decision making, in the process forcing living standards for everyone but themselves into the dark ages. Gas at $20 a gallon would cause the prices of everything from food to clothes to skyrocket, people would have to choose between feeding themselves or heating their homes. Everything you need to live would double in price, families already struggling would suffer, the economy would collapse, more people would be laid off and we would see human suffering on a scale greater than the great depression.
But you don’t think about these things do you? You just go about saying things and believing in the global warming farce because you have been brainwashed not to think for yourself or take a broader view of actions and consequences. You need to think about the things you believe before voicing them and making yourself look like a fool.

[Genders]

09:00 PM on 01/06/2011

total nonsense, sorry. The total USA oil reserves are less than 5% of the world totals. Try again. Obsessing on the last few drops of oil, will not save us. We need to massively, war level invest in Green energy: rooftop solar, offshore wind and waste bio char. wake up.

[logicanada]

12:25 PM on 01/05/2011

The repubs will shoot this down . . . and soon.

[demomntgirl]

10:43 AM on 01/05/2011

great news

[mudshark12]

02:03 AM on 01/05/2011

This is good news considering the oil industries' poor clean up record when dealing with oil spills. Cleanup would be further hampered by the remote and inhospitable location. This is also very good news for the Polar bear that lives there.

[Lilith Anderson]

05:10 PM on 01/04/2011

I never thought I would say this, but it seems to be a sign of The End Times.

[littlerabbit]

04:58 PM on 01/04/2011

Thanks for watching out for the people and the Arctic, EPA.

[drill95]

04:33 PM on 01/04/2011

I hope gas goes to $20 a gollon!!!!