by The Associated Press
Thursday, April 29, 2010
FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- Officials with Royal Dutch Shell don't anticipate their Arctic exploration plans to be slowed by the highly publicized oil spill in Gulf of Mexico.
Shell recently secured key air quality permits from the Environmental Protection Agency for exploration in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Company spokesman Curtis Smith says more environmental permits are needed, but Shell doesn't foresee them being held up because of the Gulf spill.
Pam Miller of the Northern Alaska Environmental Center disagrees. She says the massive spill reinforces the need to further study the complications of trying to mop up oil spills in icy waters.
