Shell's Delay in Alaska Will Protect Arctic Refuge, Wildlife in 2011

WASHINGTON (February 3, 2011) -- In response to Royal Dutch Shell’s announcement that it would delay its drilling campaign in Alaska, Chuck Clusen, director of national parks and Alaska projects at the Natural Resources Defense Council, made the following statement:

“Shell's plan was ill-conceived from the start. Now the government can proceed with full environmental impact statements on the company’s permit to drill and its contingency spill plan. This needs to be completed before any decisions are made about opening the Beaufort and Chukchi Sea to oil and gas exploration. Shell’s announcement will protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge shoreline from potential damage, bowhead whale migration and the denning of polar bears and many other marine mammals.”