.... and Shell could not meet the limited standard EPA requirements.

This article has been "sanitized" for your reading pleasure.

Unfortunately, if Shell doesn't drill, someone else will. I doubt Russia has the same EPA standards we do. I wonder how long it will be before there's an oil slick on another of Alaska's shores.

Actually the ice is still there from the winter when it extended farther south than in previous years, it was necessary to send an icebreaker 200 miles across the ice to get winter fuel to Nome, and a mild summer which has been cooler than previous years, this July was one of the coolest Julys on record.

Hit Girl doesn't understand difference between sea ice and glacier ice. Oh well , it's OK to be uninformed.

Hate to tell you this, but this hasn't been anywhere close to being a "mild" summer. But, the ice doesn't disappear in ways we can count on. What I would like to know, is why we're drilling in an area without any tested method of containing a spill. But, here's the record for the lower 48, mildest winter, hottest spring, and it appears that it is likely to be the hottest summer as well. So much for Big Oil Propaganda.

rimom: No one can meet EPA standards now-a-days. They shut shell down after shell had been working there for 5 years. Why? Because Obama decided he didn't want drilling, period! Official reason? The air pollution from ships traveling within 70 miles of a small town of 250 people would have an adverse affect on the environment of the town! How to make sense out of the decisions from this administration? Simple: They are out to destroy the country and are doing a hell of a good job of it! That is Obama's idea of success, and the other people who think America shouldn't be number one agree with him. Go figure. But, he'll still get a lot of votes because too many people could care less about the results, just the promises made count.

I doubt the regulations got in the way. They just don't have their act together, plus any delays will get higher per barrel oil prices later. It's stupidity first, money on the back end.

Don't worry guys, Shell will export the oil to the highest bidders since it is a global commodity and we will continue to pay an increasing price per gallon.

At the end of the day, Shell will make record profits and if anything happened, the local and tax payers will pay the price as usual.

Lame. This exploration is not in Glacier Bay. Ignorance is bliss, they say.

Even if a person doesn't believe in global warming, what about the perils in Arctic conditions? How long did it take to contain one in the Gulf where the seas are calmer and ice chunks float around. Don't drill and don't continue to sell us on green energy being impossible. It's doable now and we put any legitimate effort forth, green energy is achievable---just not enough money in it for the oil guys.

Hit girl,

Park your car don't fly shut off you power and quit using almost everything. Everything in this world
contains or involved petroleum at one point in its life cycle. once you do this you will no longer be a hypocrite and no one else will have to put up with your babbling.

i would like to ask everyone who has issues with the oil and gas industry to look into what products are made from petroleum and boycot them.all plastics,rubbers and even the electricity made to run your iphone,ipad or laptop is a byproduct of oil and gas.if you truely have issues with it then move to a deserted island,strip away all your clothes and shoes and live straight off the land with no assistance from big oil.please,do your part in protecting our planet.thank you

What a shock. A huge list of ignorant posts from left leaning individuals. Please get more informed about our natural resources. It is a shame at how many jobs we lose and how many families it hurts because we don't develop our resources.

Obama prefer outsource jobs to Brazil. He gave 500 million of dollars to Petrobras a company that Georgy Soros is investing to drill in Brazilian waters instead to allowed the construction of the Keystone pipe that could provide thousand of jobs at home.. With Obama never we are going to be energy independent.

witchrunner

1.6:

Let me set you straight ....because your nonsensical, ridiculous, uneducated President bashing is way off base.

First, Shell is changing its story about its capacity to clean up spilled oil in the Arctic. Portions of Shell's Arctic oil spill response plans are based the unrealistic assumption that Shell would be able to clean up 90 percent of the oil released in a worst case spill.

Actual recovery rates—even in optimum conditions—rarely exceed 20 percent. When confronted with questions about its spill plan, Shell back-pedaled, claiming that it didn't mean that it would actually be able to clean up 90 percent of the spilled oil, only that it would be able to "encounter" 90 percent of the spilled oil.

Second, Shell is having problems obtaining Coast Guard certification for one of its oil spill response vessels. Because of the harsh conditions of the Arctic, the Coast Guard requires Shell's vessel to withstand the conditions and forces generated by a severe storm that might happen once every 100 years. Shell's vessel failed to meet that stringent standard. In the face of this setback, Shell suggested a shortcut: it asked the Coast Guard to use a less rigorous certification standard.

Third, Shell recently admitted that it won't be able to meet the air emissions standards established in Clean Air Act permits granted by the EPA.

Instead of addressing the issue at an earlier stage, Shell waited and hoped for the best. When tests showed that emissions from Shell's drillship and oil spill response vessel would exceed the air pollution limits set by the permits, Shell once again tried for an easy way out, requesting that EPA grant a waiver to allow the vessels to emit more pollutants.

And then there's the incident in Dutch Harbor… Shell's 500 foot drillship—the Noble Discoverer—dragged anchor and nearly ran aground (or did in fact run aground, depending on who you ask) near Dutch Harbor in Alaska. Photos show the Discoverer very close to the shoreline. Fortunately, tugs were able to pull the drillship back to deeper waters. If Shell was not able to control its drillship in the relatively protected waters of Unalaska Bay, how will it fare in the more challenging environment of the Chukchi Sea?

1.14 Oskar

You are the worst kind of poster....the kind that repeats FOX crap;

So let me set you and your ill-informed GOP wingnuts straight.

Dispelling the Brazil Oil Loan Myth

The rumor started back in the summer of 2010, when Fox News’ controversial conspiracy theorist Glenn Beck said that Obama had lent Petrobras $2 billion for its deep ocean oil drilling off the Atlantic Coast of Espirito Santo and Rio de Janeiro states.

For many, the name Petrobras suddenly became a new, foreign oil name, with ties to liberal investor George Soros to boot. Beck doesn’t like Soros. And Soros likes Petrobras. And maybe Obama. The takeaway? Obama is helping Petrobras shareholders, like Soros, by giving them a loan at the same time he is (was) banning drilling in the Gulf of Mexico because of the BP Plc oil spill.

Here’s what is really going on with that $2 billion loan. Petrobras declined to comment on it, but a spokesperson at the Export-Import Bank, which offered Petrobras $2 billion in a preliminary commitment in April 2009, did comment. (And after some due diligence all my own, here are the the “known-knowns”.)

The Export Import Bank is a government run bank. It made a preliminary commitment to offer Petrobras $2 billion in April 2009. What that means is, Petrobras could take out a loan from the Bank and use that money not to enrich Soros or shareholders, per se, but to enrich US companies in the energy space, mainly businesses in the oil, natural gas, and oil rig space. The money would in fact come back to the US and, hopefully, even create jobs due to demand for goods and services from Petrobras, one of the biggest oil companies in the Americas.

What’s become of that $2 billion? On February 4, 2010, the Bank entered into a medium-term credit guarantee facility with Petrobras for $308 million. That means if Petrobras wants, it can go to a bank — in this case it is JP Morgan — and take out a loan for $308 million to buy goods and services from US companies. The Export Import Bank then would guarantee that loan from default, which in turn makes JP Morgan happy because it will not lose money and will make interest on the loan; make Petrobras happy because the loan guarantee means low interest rates on the loan; and it makes the Export Import Bank happy because they can collect fees (undisclosed) and provide a boost to the companies in the US in which Petrobras will do business.

Although the Bank has agreed to guarantee the loan to be made by JP Morgan, the transaction is not operative. That’s a legal term that means no legal documents have been signed by JP Morgan or Petrobras saying that the loan is active. The Bank approved it, but Petrobras has not acted on it for more than one year later.

In other words, the $308 million is part of the $2 billion offer. Petrobras has not yet tapped a single dime of it.

Petrobras has a LOT of money at low interest, and probably doesn’t need the loan anyway.

And although Soros is an investor in Petrobras, he is not even in the top 15 of major holders.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2011/03/17/dispelling-the-petrobras-loan-myth-as-obama-heads-to-rio/

@ PutAmericaFirst

So, what is ignorant in all this?

You sound like Romney, talk the talk, nothing specific.

I guess this is the case of "Lies a lot until something sticks".

it was disasterous drilling in a ice free gulf

its gonna have to take another oil spill to prove they dont care

Hey, no fair Obama. So now you want to sabotage drilling by putting that loose sea ice out there. Obama will stop at nothing trying to stop domestic oil production. We need a good Republican who will make sure that we drill for oil - due care be darned.

It's called supply & demand, with the reduction in the use of gas caused by ridicules gas prices consumption is down, so why drill and have to pay to have it sitting there, and besides that they can just drive up the prices once again by driving down the availability, trust me these people only think about money nothing else.

Hey Fettclone - I didn't say stop drilling, but carbon fuels have consequences and we need to consider those. If you disagree, just try this experiment: run a hose from your exhaust to your front seat, get in, close the windows and breath deeply.

Another point to big for your tiny brain... oil is finite. What repalces it? Any merit in thinking about that today, or is it simply not your problem...?

Obama and his secretary of energy S. Chu want the price of gas goes up to $ 5, to justify the the 500 million he gave to a Finland's automaker to produce $ 100,000 electric automobiles , for millionaires that can afford to buy this car.

Oskar:

Read 1.16

Gee Oskar, I haven't seen prices that high since there was an oil man in the White House!

Yeah, and who was it that warned us to never ever ever elect someone from the oil industry to president? Oh, that was Eisenhower, right? I liked Ike, he tried to warn us about so much. You know, he was a Republican of the old order when elected officials actually tried to do what was best for the nation, not just for big business.

This is the coldest summer on record in Alaska. Complete difference from the lower 48.

One year proves it all! Can you say Dust Bowl of the 30s?

MIddle...Alaska had a cold winter and a cold summer. The northwest has had a cold summer and spring. There is mountains of evidence that show that it was this warm over 600 years ago. Nothing to see....move along.

@ PutAmericaFirst

Sources?

It also worth mentioning that 600 years ago, there are less than 100 millions people in the world and if something happened, it won't be as catastrophic as it is now.

HOw do you know that there were not that many 600 years ago @CuongDNguyen, were you alive then, there were millions of natives to this hemisphere who were killed by Europeons, and that is a conservative estimate.

While the number is up; the number is not 3x and no population count exists to validate the actual population. Basically the population is a best guess

<quote from

Figures cited by government officials do show an increase – though not as big a jump as Stevens claims. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said at the department’s press conference that the polar bear population increased from "a low of about 12,000 in the late 1960s to approximately 25,000 today." But the size of the world’s polar bear population is subject to much debate.

Besides the fact that they have increased obviously.

Yes they are estimates, but they are pretty accurate. It might not be 3x more it may only be 2.9x or 3.2x times more.

Probably the same authorities who give permission to the crab boats and other fisherman. The Alaska Pipeline has be flowing right along for a long time with no problems.

Wally, there have been problems with the pipeline like leaks that have polluted the land etc and also problems due to lack of maintainance. So yes there are problems with the Alaska Pipeline from the news reports if I am not mistaken.

Lets see you don't want hydroelectric because little fishes can't get home,you dont want petroleum based energy projects because it's dirty,you don't want solar because it vaporizes birds,you don't want wind turbines because they kill a million birds a year,You don't want wave action energy because its ugly and ruins the shoreline view, Coal is difinately a no-no,you can't stand cutting down trees (trees have a life too) because,i don't know this one! So what would make you happy? We can't have nice warm coats because the fibers are from petroleum or if from cotton which requires a massive amount of fuel to get to market.Most,of not all good winter boots would be gone,.No air conditioning,no heating(remember no wood cutting).No homes,no roofs,no floors.We could live in caves but wewould have to deface a mountain somewhere!I'm lost!

wally, BP got fined big time for poor maintenance on a section of pipe, before the Gulf disaster, BP had a history of safety violations and only fixed them when made to, unfortunately some companies only comply to environmental standards when they get caught. Unfortunate but true.

The BP Maintenance issue was on a section of pipe delivering fuel from the wells to to Trans Alaska Pipeline. BP doesn't have anything to do with the maintenance of the Trans Alaska Pipeline at all. Alyeska Pipeline Service Company formed in 1970 is the designer, builder, maintainer and operator of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System.

wally, all weather is not local, global --remember the volcano that shut down Europe, well ash and debris hit Asia and traveled to the US, the jet stream is far north this year which has caused the mid-west, and other parts of the US to fry and cause draught. Weather is definitely not local, Krakatoa caused a mini ice age around the globe when it exploded. Check your science and history.

When did volcanoes become weather events, Mr. Science Genius guy?

Good Lord you are a idiot.

So.... what's your point?

Wasn't there a huge mountain slide earlier this month supposedly caused caused by warming to a snow pack!Now we have a problem with just the opposite situation! HIMMMM! The environuts explained both away! It's a win-win situation for the evironuts!

Mother nature has been able to take care of herself a long time before man started walking on her and will take care of herself when we are gone! Man can't create a hurricane,a tornado,mega waves,earthquakes,instant storms and any other weather condition.I don't beleive the data out there.There are just as many non believing scientist as there are believers! About half of the non believers used to support your movement.This climite change or global warming is nothing more than a utopian belief that the unification of the world should be a single minded purpose where there is one governing body and individual countries are dismissed.It has always been the dream of progressives since the movement started in early 1900's.The same stuff has been espoused by you wierdos the entire time the movement has been around.Your college professors still perpetuate the myth of Utopia.Should you be reminded that part of your progressive movement called for the use of eugenics to "cleanse" the world from unwanted seeds! Are you for that also!Go get your Communist Manifesto out,dust it off and see if you can find something new,for a change!You are not part of the intellegencia so give up your dreams of having a following someday,because it won't happen!

dickman- the point should be obvious, but mas- what's your... oh what's the point?

mas,

Yepper, Mother Nature usually takes care of herself fairly well. She usually weeds out the idiots amongst us first.

peter, that makes a lot of sense, didn't the BP spill teach you anything. Silly twit.

Lets just shut it all down for all you liberal idiots. Then we can put on our headbands on and paint flowers everywhere and sing " Im on the Peacetrain". Junk our automobiles, use candles for our light, and stop using all of these electronic devices. Watch unemployment swell to the highest levels ever, with all of the oil people out of work and their business gone. Watch it filter on down to every household in this land. You people are pathetic.. moan and groan about a company attempting to advance drilling technology. Do you think Shell wants a spill?? Heck no! Do you not think this company understands the risk of a spill in that area would be catastrophic and will proceed with caution? They are doing that now.

Consumers drive these companies to supply the demand of the consumer. You want BIG OIL gone then quit buying electricity, fuel, and plastics. Sitting in your chairs while you sip your Latte and eat your brussel sprout sandwich and moan how big oil is so bad is simply pathetic. Then get in your car tomorrow and drive to work and complain some more...you make me sick!

The left is traditionally hypocritical. Case in point. Their poster boy. Al Gore.

I walk and take bus for over 20 years here.

There is nothing wrong with drilling, but you seem to misinform on your part.

People complaint about oil companies put profits first, safety second and at the end of the day, we tax payers will foot the bill to clean up.

It doesn't matter how much you drill, most oil will be sell oversea to the highest bidder. However, once the problem occurs, billions of tax revenue will be lost, decades of environmental impact and hundreds of thousands of job loss in the local areas.

Nice to see who got the bad end of the stick, right?

Hey,Lousisana,you cajun?I am.Born in Lousisana!

Hey Lousisana! Tell these people who think oil companies are solely responsible for oil in water how there are thousands of fissures in the ocean floor that causes oil to naturally leak out .Oil is nature ! Have we forgotten that!

A, people understand that our society runs on the use of oil and the products that make our lives easier, the problem is the EXXon Valdez, BP Blow outs, Deep Water Horizons, Great Barrier Reef spill, smaller un-reported spills, Cayuga (sp.?) river spill in Ohio, river on fire, the magnitude of some spill disasters are generations in the fixing. Alternative sources of energy have to be explored and exploited because one day the oil will run out. Your children and mine deserve a better world than what we appear to be leaving. Oh mas give it a break, your annoying and with your stupid trash talk.

mas, I'm going to feed you one last time, your ignorant useless Louisiana GED just showed up in your post. You might want to look into upgrading your GED, learn how to read and write. Try and write a full sentence that makes sense. Go home, your day pass expired.

Ok- Cajun. That explains it. But good music though...

its about ruining our oceans resources,when thiers plenty of other energy out their to be used,and we dont control this,money does,if we the people could change offshore drilling it would have been stopped a long time ago!!! at least obama has the guts to stand up for this nonsense to stop in certain areas,the only ones complaining are those making money off of ruining our oceans,and dont give a DAMN about our oceans and our children to enjoy them,what about them, dont they deserve to enjoy them!!!Some of you people just dont give a damn about nothing but money,will destroy anything over your greed!!!!

huuhhhh!anwr does that stand for A Not While im Reading ?

I hope you are joking. Sad if you don't know about ANWR.

don't feed the troll.

I'll tell you I know about anwr! It was another environmental tragedy caused by envorinuts making a whale from a minnow!You complain about evey source of alternative feuls we try.There is always something wrong with everytihng.Your compliants have to be answered and we have to pay for the delays with higher fuel cost.You don't do any good and are one step up the ladder from a terrorist.You closed down the largest solar farm in America because ONE dead fox was found one mile from the soalr farm.You closed down the second largest sloar farm in America because you found out birds that flew over the solar farm were being vaporized.You clsoed down the third largest solar farm in America because you had some other compliant.You have had numerous winf turbines stopped to investigate ways to stop ,i guess,birds from flying into the turbines.Yea know about anwr! What about it!

don't feed the troll, his week day pass expired.

your most intelligent comment yet mas- kudos.

What was that Ezra Pound said way back when? " A nation that cannot write clearly, cannot be trusted to think..." well, something like that. Anyway, keep plugging away-

fett, so the oil companies only make 7 cents a gallon, as opposed to record profits in the billions, so whose fooling who, I just filled up and vehicle took 20 gallons = $1.40 profit for Exxon, yeah right.

sky.....That is pretty accurate and all the evidence backs up that fact. Government did make over $20 profit on your 20 gallon fill up.

This is true, our gov. is our own worst enemy. They are destroying this nation. Out of control greed started with them and filtered it's way down all the way through the very fabric that is the total make up of this nation.

Shell is doing just like all smart businesses are doing! They are waiting for the current communist in charge and his administration to be voted out in November! Only then will the job creators create jobs! Until then, the jobless only have the liberals to blame! As this whole mess is exactly their plan!

what regulations is that,destroying our oceans!!! thats whats absurd,go down south to florida,where the people are getting lesions all over their bodies from going in the water,and tell me how freaking absurd that is,better yet take your family and move their and play in the ocean water for a while and then tell us how absurd that is!!!

jon, I was born and raised in St Augustine Florida! I know exactly how the oceans naturally handle oil spills! You @!$%#ing idiot!

Rob....When was the last time we had a tanker problem with the 2 hulls system? 30 years ago? Sometimes it is not needed.

I was one of those who argued against drilling "in a small desolate area of ANWR" for that very reason. It is a wildlife refuge and oil companies have no business in there mucking it up. You consider preventing irreparable damage to one of the few pristine areas left as "standing in the way of progress"? Destruction of our environment is not progress-it is senseless exploitation of our dwindling natural resources simply for the monetary gain of those who consistently bend us over at the gas pump and grin all the way to the bank while they do it. Then they run a few "feel good, we're on your side, we are concerned about everything too" ads that seem to make lemmings like you think they give a flying @!$%# about you or the environment you live in. Wake up before it is too late.................

Then stop buying plastics, driving and using your computer to spill your ignorant rants!