That triggers a 30-day deadline for the MMS to review the plan and decide whether to approve it, reject it or require changes.
A previous Shell plan for drilling in the Chukchi was rejected by a federal judge, who ordered a new analysis of the impacts of the drilling.
Shell said this week it hopes to drill one or two wells in the Chukchi. Also next year, it hopes to drill two exploration wells in the Beaufort Sea, west of Kaktovik in Camden Bay. On Monday, the MMS gave its conditional approval to Shell's Beaufort exploration plan. The company has not yet received any permits to drill, however.
Environmental groups oppose Shell's proposals to drill offshore in the Arctic due to uncertainty about the cleanup of oil spills in pack ice and other environmental risks.
Find Elizabeth Bluemink online at adn.com/contact/ebluemink or call 257-4317.
To see more of the Anchorage Daily News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.adn.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Anchorage Daily News, Alaska Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

More News:
Market Updates |
Stock Alerts |
All Trading News |
Stock Index