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U.S. NEWSTuesday 18 August 2015
Feds allow Shell to drill for oil in Arctic Ocean off Alaska
DAN JOLING standards,” agency Di- site. It completed what’s actly when drill bits might Pacific walrus, ice seals
Associated Press rector Brian Salerno said called a mud-line cellar, enter the petroleum-bear- and threatened whales al-
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) in a statement Monday. a 20-by-40-foot hole at ing zone. ready vulnerable from cli-
— The federal government “We will continue to moni- the top of the well that will “It’s information that we mate warming and shrink-
on Monday gave Royal ing summer sea ice. They
Dutch Shell the final permit With the Olympic Mountains in the background, a small boat crosses in front of the Transocean say oil companies have
it needs to drill for oil in the not demonstrated that
Arctic Ocean off Alaska’s Polar Pioneer, a semi-submersible drilling unit that Royal Dutch Shell leases from Transocean they can clean up a spill in
northwest coast for the first water choked by ice.
time in more than two de- Ltd., as it arrives in Port Angeles, Wash., aboard a transport ship after traveling across the Pacific Sierra Club executive di-
cades. rector Michael Brune said
The Bureau of Safety and before its eventual Arctic destination. The U.S. government on Monday gave Shell the final in a statement that Presi-
Environmental Enforce- dent Obama’s decision to
ment announced that it permit it needs to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean off Alaska’s northwest coast for the first time in grant Shell the final drilling
approved the permit to permits goes against sci-
drill below the ocean floor more than two decades. (Daniella Beccaria/seattlepi.com via AP) ence, the will of the peo-
after the oil giant brought ple and common sense.
in a required piece of tor their work around the hold a blowout preventer, consider proprietary and “Granting Shell the permit
equipment to stop a pos- clock to ensure the utmost and continued drilling into therefore not something to drill in the Arctic was the
sible well blowout. safety and environmental rock above the petroleum- we would release,” Smith wrong decision, and this
The agency previously al- stewardship.” bearing zone. said. He added safe oper- fight is far from over,” he
lowed Shell to begin drill- The Polar Pioneer, a semi- Smith said it’s possible Shell ations will determine prog- said. “The people will con-
ing only the top sections submersible drilling unit will complete a well this ress. Environmental groups tinue to call on President
of two wells in the Chuk- that Shell leases from Trans- summer. But he declined oppose Arctic offshore Obama to protect the Arc-
chi Sea because the key ocean Ltd., began work to say how deep the Polar drilling, saying industrial ac- tic and our environment.”
equipment, called a cap- July 30 at Shell’s Burger J Pioneer has drilled or ex- tivity will harm polar bears, The U.S. Geological Survey
ping stack, was stuck on a estimates that U.S. Arctic
vessel that needed repair waters hold 26 billion bar-
in Portland, Oregon. rels of recoverable oil, and
Because the vessel arrived Shell is eager to explore in
last week, Shell is free to drill a basin that company offi-
into oil-bearing rock, esti- cials say could be a game-
mated at 8,000 feet below changer for domestic pro-
the ocean floor, for the first duction.
time since its last explorato- Shell bid $2.1 billion on
ry well was drilled in 1991. Chukchi Sea leases in 2008
“Activities conducted off- and has spent upward of
shore Alaska are being $7 billion on exploration
held to the highest safety, there and in the Beau-
environmental protection, fort Sea off Alaska’s north
and emergency response coast.q
Kansas regulators urged to allow increased electricity rates
JOHN HANNA ing on the proposed deal sive and complicated and sioner Jay Emler, a former upgrades at the Wolf Creek
Associated Press struck by Westar Energy urged the three-member state Senate majority lead- nuclear power plant about
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An Inc. with the commission’s commission not to change er and attorney. “It’s very 55 miles south of Topeka.
agreement that would al- staff, a state consumer any of its terms. State law encouraging.” The company also pro-
low Kansas’ largest elec- advocacy agency and gives the KCC until Oct. 28 Westar, based in Topeka, posed a five-year, $220
tric company to increase some of the utility’s largest to issue an order revising has nearly 700,000 custom- million plan for upgrad-
its rates about 4 percent is customers. The company’s Westar’s rates, and sev- ers, and it initially proposed ing its electrical grid and
reasonable for customers annual rates would rise by eral attorneys noted that increasing its annual rates a 10 percent annual profit
while covering the cost of $78 million — about half the law encourages settle- by $152 million. The utility for its stockholders. The
power plant upgrades, at- of what it wanted — and ments, particularly agree- sought to recover costs al- agreement allows grid im-
torneys for the utility and most households would see ments like Westar’s where ready incurred for improve- provements of $50 million
other parties told state reg- their bills increase between no party formally objects. ments mandated by fed- between now and early
ulators Monday. $5 and $7 a month. “This was frankly amazing, eral air pollution standards, 2017; it doesn’t specifically
The rate-setting Kansas Attorneys representing the that all these parties were primarily at its coal-fired set a maximum profit, but
Corporation Commission parties to the agreement able to come to the table power plant near LaCygne it’s expected to be 9.35
had a 90-minute hear- said it was comprehen- as they did,” said Commis- in eastern Kansas, and for percent.q
