On Sept. 19, the EPA approved air pollution permits for a drilling ship, icebreakers, and a fleet of associated vessels that Shell Oil plans to use for oil drilling as early as next summer. In an announcement immediately following the issuance of these permits, Earthjustice said:
"Shell's fleet of drilling ships will release many tons of harmful pollutants into the air, dump chemicals into the water, generate loud noises that will disturb threatened and endangered wildlife and create the risk of a catastrophic oil spill. The EPA's green light to these permits is another decision made without basic science and comprehensive planning." (Read more)
There is an acknowledged lack of oil spill response capacity, and an oil spill in these waters would be devastating for endangered bowhead whales, threatened polar bears, seals, birds and fish.
NOTE: I included a number of pictures of arctic animals as a reminder of the LIFE that exists in the arctic and is being disregarded by the EPA!
UPDATE: This is what the EPA has sent out regarding the drilling:
Sept. 19, 2011
Final Air Permits Issued to Shell for Exploration Drilling in Beaufort
and Chukchi Seas, Alaska
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 today issued final Outer
Continental Shelf (OCS) Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD)
Clean Air Act permits to Shell Gulf of Mexico Inc. and Shell Offshore
Inc. for oil and gas exploration drilling in the Beaufort Sea and
Chukchi Sea, Alaska.
The final permits and EPA Region 10 response to comments are available
at: http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/
The permits authorize air emissions from Shells oil and gas exploration
drilling with the Discoverer drillship and a support fleet of
icebreakers, oil spill response vessels, and supply ships for up to 120
days each year in the Beaufort Sea and the Chukchi Sea. Shell plans to
begin exploration drilling in 2012 in the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea
OCS, as authorized by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management and
Regulatory Enforcement.
EPA Region 10 issued similar OCS/PSD air permits to Shell in 2010. Those
permits were challenged by North Slope communities and environmental
groups to the Environmental Appeals Board, which sent the permits back
to EPA Region 10 in December 2010. EPA Region 10 revised the permits to
address the issues raised by the Board.
During the public comment period on the draft revised permits ending
August 5, 2011, EPA Region 10 received numerous written and oral
comments on the permits. EPA Region 10 has carefully reviewed each of
the comments submitted and, after consideration of the comments, the
pertinent federal statutes and regulations, and additional material
relevant to the application and contained in the administrative record,
EPA Region 10 has decided to issue final OCS/PSD air permits to Shell
Gulf of Mexico Inc. and Shell Offshore Inc. in accordance with 40 CFR
52.21 and 40 CFR Part 55.
Environmental Appeals Board
No later than October 24, 2011, any person who commented on the proposed
permits may petition the Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) to review any
condition of the final permits. Please visit http://www.epa.gov/eab/
and see 40 CFR 124.19 for more information regarding the procedures for
appeal to the EAB.
The petition must include a statement of the reasons for requesting
review by the EAB including a demonstration that any issues being raised
were raised during the public comment period (including the public
hearing) and, when appropriate, a showing that the conditions in
question are based on 1) a finding of fact or conclusion of law which is
erroneous, or 2) an exercise of discretion or an important policy
consideration which the EAB should, in its discretion, review.
Any person who failed to file comments or failed to participate in the
public hearing on the draft permits may petition for administrative
review only to the extent of the changes from the proposed permits to
the final permits decisions.
Per the EAB Orders, appeals of the 2011 Shell Discoverer permits are
limited to issues addressed by EPA Region 10 in the revised permits and
to issues otherwise raised in the petitions on the 2010 permits but not
addressed by EPA Region 10 in the revised permits. No new issues may be
raised that could have been raised but were not raised in appeals of the
2010 permits.
Please see 40 CFR 124.19 and visit http://www.epa.gov/eab/ for more
information regarding the procedures for appeal to the EAB. You are
encouraged to utilize the Board e-filing system or hand or courier
delivery when filing pleadings with the Board. Petitions for review of
these permits must be submitted to the EAB no later than October 24,
2011.
All mail sent to the EAB may be delayed by a random sterilization
procedure. All filings delivered to the EAB by hand or courier,
including Federal Express, UPS, and U.S. Postal Express Mail, must be
delivered to the following address: U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Clerk of the Board, Environmental Appeals Board, Ronald Reagan
Building, EPA Mail Room, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C.
20004. All documents that are sent through the U.S. Postal Service
(except by Express Mail) must be addressed to the EAB mailing address:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Clerk of the Board, Environmental
Appeals Board (MC 1103B), Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave.,
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20460-0001.
These OCS/ PSD permits become effective 30 days after the service of
notice of the final permits decisions, unless review of the permits
decisions are appealed To the EAB.
Permit Documents Available
The permits record includes the permit applications, supplemental
applications, the draft and final permits, supplemental statement of
basis, response to public comments, and all other materials relied on by
EPA Region 10. The permits record is available for public review at EPA
Region 10, 1200 6th Ave, Seattle, Washington, 9am to 5pm Mon. to Fri.
(206.553.1200). The final permits and EPA Region 10 response to comments
are available at:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/
For more information, to request a copy of the final permits, EPA Region
10 response to comments, or to join the EPA Region 10 arctic permits
mailing list, please contact Suzanne Skadowski, 206.553.6689,
skadowski.suzanne@epa.gov .
Copies of the final permits and EPA Region 10 response to comments are
also available for public review during normal business hours at these
locations in Alaska: EPA Region 10 Alaska Office, Federal Building, 222
West 7th Ave, Anchorage (907.271.5083); Barrow City Office, 2022 Ahkovak
Street, Barrow (907.852.4050); Nuiqsut City Office, 2230 2nd Avenue,
Nuiqsut (907.480.6727); Kaktovik City Office, 2051 Barter Avenue,
Kaktovik (907.640.6313); Wainwright City Office, 1217 Airport Road,
Wainwright (907.763.2815); Kali School Library, 1029 Ugrak Ave, Point
Lay (907.833.2312); Point Hope City Office, 530 Natchiq Street, Point
Hope (907.368.2537); Atqasuk City Office, 5010 Ekosik Street, Atqasuk
(907.633.6811); Anaktuvuk Pass City Office, 3031 Main St, Anaktuvuk Pass
(907.661.3612).
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