Shell’s Arctic oil drilling plans hit by polar bears and walruses
Shell’s Arctic oil drilling plans hit by polar bears and walruses
By Reuters: 12:32AM BST 01 July 2015
The Obama administration has dealt a setback to Royal Dutch Shell’s Arctic oil exploration plans, saying established walrus and polar bear protections prevent the company from drilling with two rigs simultaneously at a close range, as it had planned.
The US Fish and Wildlife Service issued Shell a permit which emphasized that under federal wildlife protections issued in 2013, companies must maintain a 15-mile buffer between two rigs drilling simultaneously.
The rule is meant to protect populations of animals sensitive to the sounds and activities of drilling. Walruses have been known to plunge off rocks into the sea during drilling, putting their populations at risk. The animals are already at risk from reduced habitat areas due to global warming. Drilling with only one rig at a time could slash the amount of work Shell had hoped to accomplish.
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