at 3:15 PM by Mallory Schnell

BOEM Approves Arctic Drilling Plan

President Obama made an announcement Monday giving conditional approval to Shell to resume drilling in the Arctic Ocean. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management approved Shell’s plan to drill for oil in the waters of the Chukchi Sea, located off the Alaskan coast. Environmentalists and industry officials agree that this area is one of the most dangerous places to drill in the world, as the nearest Coast Guard station is located over 1,000 miles away.

BOEM stated in a report earlier this year that there was a 75% chance of one or more large spills occurring in this area over the next 77 years (ABC News). Although BOEM and Shell officials have said they have put much thought into this plan and will make sure safety standards are met, Shell has a past of failing to meet safety requirements, and environmentalists fear that history may repeat itself. 

Not to mention, the Arctic is home to many endangered species; oil drilling and climate change are among the biggest threats to the wildlife in this area, according to the Alaska Wilderness League.

Tim Donaghy, senior research specialist at Greenpeace spoke to ABC News about the Arctic drilling plan:

“If something bad were to happen we won’t be able to clean it up correctly,” Donaghy said before adding that a spill would have “terrible consequences for both the ecosystems and the people living up there who rely on those ecosystems for subsistence.”

For more on the subject, visit ABC News.