ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Royal Dutch Shell's quest to drill exploratory wells in Arctic waters has received a boost with the affirmation that its federal air permits for the Chukchi Sea were properly granted.
The EPA Appeals Board on Thursday rejected challenges to the air permits brought by Alaska Native and conservation groups.
Shell Alaska spokesman Curtis Smith said in a formal announcement that the decision means Shell, for the first time, has usable air permits that will allow its drill ship, the Noble Discoverer, to work in the outer continental shelf off Alaska's northwest coast in 2012.
"Achieving usable permits from the EPA is a very important step for Shell and one of the strongest indicators to date that we will be exploring our Beaufort and Chukchi leases in July," Smith said.
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