Despite 'Enormous Risk' White House Reaffirms Commitment to Arctic Drilling [View all]

[KoKo]

Despite 'Enormous Risk' White House Reaffirms Commitment to Arctic Drilling
As US renews pledge to drill in Arctic waters, Greenland places moratorium on new leases
- Lauren McCauley, staff writer

A White House official reaffirmed Wednesday the Obama administration's commitment to the Arctic offshore drilling program despite the "dangerous risk" of catastrophic consequences for the pristine marine ecosystem.



Celebrating news of the moratorium, Greenpeace now calls for "total ban of drilling" in Arctic waters. Speaking via video conference before a Alaskan Senate hearing in Anchorage regarding the recent grounding of Shell's Kulluk drilling rig, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Director Tommy Beaudreau said, “The administration is committed to supporting safe and responsible exploration of potential energy resources in frontier areas such as the Arctic.”

Beaudreau's statement came as the US Coast Guard made a plea to the Justice Department to consider "taking action" against Shell for marine pollution violations—referring to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution From Ships—committed in the operations of the Kulluk drillship, said head of the Alaskan Coast Guard Rear Admiral Thomas Ostebo.

Environmental groups, who have long campaigned against the Arctic offshore drilling program citing an assuredly "catastrophic impact on one of the most pristine, unique and beautiful landscapes on earth," are calling on the Administration to completely shut down operations there.

More and about what Greenland is Doing at......

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/03/28-5