Shell Oil ordered to stop drilling in the Arctic

Shell Oil has been ordered by a federal appeals court to stop its exploratory drilling program off the north coast of Alaska until a hearing next month. The order was issued by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and comes after the Federal Minerals Management Service in February approved Shell’s offshore exploration plan for the Beaufort Sea.

The order came following petitions from the North Slope Borough and Native and environmental groups. The groups say federal officials should have allowed a more detailed public evaluation of how Shell’s activities could impact the environment and the North Slope’s native people before allowing any drilling.

They argue that Shell’s activities could drive bowhead whales away from the coastline, interfering with Native subsistence whale hunts. They also query Shell’s ability to clean up an oil spill on sea ice. North Slope Borough Mayor said they are endangering our subsistence way of life.

This summer, Shell planned to explore the Beaufort and Chukchi seas off the north coast and was the most ambitious oil exploration attempt in progress in Alaska.

Shell had mobilised a 16-vessel fleet to drill wells, shoot sound waves into the seabed to learn the underground geology and bore into the seafloor to test soil conditions.

A spokesperson for Shell commented that they are disappointed by this decision as this project is a long-term investment for them.