By Katarzyna Klimasinska – Feb 17, 2012 5:29 PM GMT
Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) won U.S. approval for its oil-spill response plan in the Chukchi Sea, bringing the company closer to winding up a five-year quest to drill off the north coast of Alaska.
Shell must obtain drilling permits from the Interior Departments Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to start work as early as July. The company also needs U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service permission for incidental disruption of polar bears, walrus, whales and seals.