Shell halts Arctic drilling
Though the organization’s statement said the decision was made for financial reasons, people celebrated the announcement as an environmental victory.
Environmentalists are praising the decision, even though the company said in a press release that it is only ceasing its activity in the arctic “for the foreseeable future.”
“The Shell Alaska team has operated safely and exceptionally well in every aspect of this year’s exploration program,” Shell Upstream Americas Director Marvin Odum said in its release. “Shell continues to see important exploration potential in the basin, and the area is likely to ultimately be of strategic importance to Alaska and the US. However, this is a clearly disappointing exploration outcome for this part of the basin.”
Shell staunchly defended the decision earlier this month, and Reuters called the move “a rapid change of heart for such a large company that showed it is preparing for a prolonged period of low oil prices while trying to close its $70 billion takeover of rival BG.”
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