Shell Oil Company will not be permitted to drill for oil in Alaska’s Beaufort and Chukchi seas this year. A great win for polar bears, even if it's only temporary at this point. Scientists have said that a major oil spill in Arctic waters would have a devastating impact on polar bears.
President Obama announced the temporary halt during a news conference on Thursday, just hours after the head of the of Minerals Management Service, the agency that regulates offshore drilling, resigned from her post. He also ordered that work be suspended on 33 exploratory wells currently being drilled in the Gulf of Mexico; an additional six-month pause on new permits for deepwater oil and gas wells; and other restrictions.
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