December 11, 2009 at 3:58 PM
Shell Oil about to begin drilling in Alaska
But what about the polar bears?
I was saddened to read that the Interior Department has approved Shell Oils plans to drill exploratory oil wells in the Chukchi Sea off Alaskas northwest coast [Oil drilling in Alaska OKd, News, Dec. 8].
This drilling will take place in a sensitive ecosystem, home to one-tenth of the worlds polar bears, who are already suffering and dying as a result of climate change. What will happen to them if theres an oil spill?
Shell cant prove that it can clean up a spill in the extreme weather conditions of the Arctic Ocean.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar tried to justify his decision by saying that Chukchi Sea oil exploration would help reduce Americas dependence on foreign oil. This is an admirable goal, but drilling for oil in sensitive ecosystems is not the way to achieve it.
Instead, we should move away from fossil fuels entirely. We can completely wean ourselves off fossil fuels in the next 20 years by switching to wind, solar, geothermal, tidal and hydroelectric power.
Isnt this preferable to further endangering our friends the polar bears not to mention ourselves?
Maggie Willson, Seattle
You might be interested in:
- Shell denies asking for delay in drilling plan From Seattle Times Business & Technology
- Shell gets conditional OK for Beaufort drilling From Seattle Times Business & Technology
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EBOOK TITLE: “JOHN DONOVAN, SHELL’S NIGHTMARE: MY EPIC FEUD WITH THE UNSCRUPULOUS OIL GIANT ROYAL DUTCH SHELL” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.
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