EIA Calls on Obama to Protect American Arctic Following Shell’s Withdrawal from Alaska

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Royal Dutch Shell announced today that they are abandoning further exploration for oil in the Arctic Ocean in Alaska after their first well in Burger Prospect within the Chukchi Sea produced “disappointing results.”

Shell’s decision concludes a major gamble by the company that cost it more than $7 billion in lost investment, and spares Chukchi belugas and other Arctic wildlife from potentially devastating noise and oil pollution. Shell’s previous attempt to explore for oil in 2012 was punctuated by fines, pollution, and culminated in the grounding of the drilling rig Kulluk.

In response to Shell’s announcement, Danielle Fest Grabiel, Senior Policy Analyst for the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) issued the following statement:

“Shell’s loss is a big win for belugas and other Arctic wildlife. EIA calls on the Obama Administration to seize the opportunity presented by Shell’s announcement to cease the issuance, sale, or transfer of oil leases in the American Arctic and to begin the process of establishing a system of marine protected areas in their place.”

Contact:
Maggie Dewane, Press Officer, mdewane@eia-global.org, +1 (202) 483-6621