"Federal Standards Needed for Safe Arctic Drilling, Pew Says"

"WASHINGTON — Hunting for offshore oil in remote and unforgiving Arctic waters requires vessels capable of withstanding crushing blows from icebergs, a nearby stash of emergency equipment and other specialized resources, according to a new report from Pew Charitable Trusts."



"In the 142-page document released Monday, Pew details the Alaska-sized challenges confronting oil companies that do business in the region and calls on federal regulators to impose baseline standards that would govern offshore oil and gas activity at the top of the world.

Interior Department officials are drafting a formal proposal of minimum standards for oil and gas activity in U.S. Arctic waters, partly with an eye on codifying some of the voluntary steps that Shell took during its 2012 drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas north of Alaska."

Jennifer A. Dlouhy reports for Hearst's FuelFix September 23, 2013.

Source: FuelFix, 09/23/2013