Arctic Ocean shoal declared off-limits to oil drilling
Source: Associated Press
Arctic Ocean shoal declared off-limits to oil drilling
By DAN JOLING, Associated Press | February 11, 2015 | Updated: February 11, 2015 2:20am
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A plateau on the Arctic Ocean floor, where thousands of Pacific walrus gather to feed and raise pups, has received new protections from the Obama administration that recognize it as a biological hot spot and mark it off-limits to future oil drilling.
But the announcement from Interior Secretary Sally Jewell triggered an uproar from Alaska leaders, angry that the federal government was making a decision that they said would harm the state's economy.
"This administration has effectively declared war on Alaska," U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said.
Hanna Shoal rises from the shallow Chukchi Sea and teems with plankton, clams and marine worms that attract walrus and bearded seals. The remote area lies 80 miles off the state's northwest coast, beyond even sparsely populated subsistence whale hunting towns such as Barrow, the northernmost community in the U.S.
Federal estimates, however, show that the Chukchi and Beaufort seas could hold 26 billion barrels of recoverable oil, and many Alaska leaders are eager to begin drilling in the area to create jobs and fund state government projects and services.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Arctic-Ocean-shoal-declared-off-limits-to-oil-6074551.php
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