President Barrack Obama’s administration has granted approval for Royal Dutch Shell PLC to begin exploration off of Alaska’s northwest coast.
Two permits were issued with conditions Wednesday, clearing the way for drilling in the Chukchi Sea.
Consumer Energy Alliance President David Holt said previously that Alaska developments like this are increasingly making energy independence possible.
Only the top sections of the wells may be drilled because the company’s critical emergency response equipment is aboard their ship, the Fennica, which was damaged by an unknown object on July 7.
After the damage was assessed, the Fennica is traveling back to Portland, Oregon, for repairs.
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement had given Shell’s drilling plan a conditional go-ahead in May, pending the company’s ability to obtain the rest of the state and federal permits.
Protests from environmental groups began in June when Shell’s first ship, the Polar Pioneer, left Seattle on it’s journey to Alaska. Those groups fear the Arctic’s remote and rugged conditions could interfere with cleanup efforts in the event of a spill.
Proponents say drilling can be conducted safely with existing technologies and that future production decades from now will help sustain the country’s energy needs, limiting the U.S.’ reliance on imports.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates there are approximately 26 billion barrels of recoverable oil in the Arctic offshore reserves in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas.