So the Obama administration is going to allow the Alaska wilderness to be destroyed.

[Blue_In_AK]

29. We follow this issue closely up here, of course.

Here are the links to all Anchorage Daily News articles that show up under a search for "Beaufort Shell." http://www.adn.com/search_results?aff=1100&q=Shell+Beaufort&submit=find+%BB


There is really very little benefit for anyone in this deal except for Shell Oil executives and a few out-of-state oil workers. From what I understand, Alaska doesn't even get any royalties from offshore drilling, despite the fact that we take all the very significant risk if there is an accident. At least with the onshore wells, the state owns the resource so the oil companies have to pay the state to extract it. That's how we have a permanent fund and get dividends every year. (We have no private ownership of mineral rights up here, at least as to oil, so oil royalties go directly to the state. The dividends are paid to every Alaskan from the profit on the investments. It's very socialist.)

Oil politics is complicated in Alaska, but a lot of us would be happy if Big Oil would just leave us alone entirely. I'd give up my permanent fund in a heartbeat to have all those Texas and Oklahoma oil men hit the road. I remember what it was like here before they came.