The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is putting the Arctic Ocean in the hands of the oil industry.
BOEM is preparing to sell leases in the Chukchi Sea, an important habitat for polar bears, whales, walrus, and numerous species of migratory birds that depend on clean waters for feeding and breeding. As Shell’s doomed 2012 efforts showed, these companies clearly are not prepared to operate in the icy, remote seas of the Arctic.
Oceana supporters and other ocean advocates successfully kept offshore oil drilling out of the Arctic in 2013. This potential sale could open millions of additional acres to oil companies looking to drill in the Chukchi’s remote and fragile waters. Oil companies like Shell have yet to explore the leases that they already own and they have not shown that they can prevent spills, air pollution, water pollution, or noise impacts that threaten the Arctic ecosystem.
