WASHINGTON, D.C. –(ENEWSPF)—May 11, 2015. The Department of the Interior gave conditional approval of Shell’s revised Exploration Plan for oil and gas drilling in the Chukchi Sea, pending receipt of drilling permits from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and authorizations under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Compared to the original 2012 version, the revision calls for more drilling equipment and predicts seven times more pollution discharges will occur directly into the ocean. Interior approved the revision despite the absence of critical information about the impacts of oil and gas exploration on wildlife, air and water pollution, and climate change.
