Shell just needs, like, two more weeks to drill in the Arctic. And then it will be done, promise!
Shell wants to drill for oil in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska’s northern coast this year, and all is not going as planned. The Interior Department says that drilling has to be completed by Sept. 24 in order to avoid sea ice. That’s less than a month away, and Shell hasn’t even managed to get started yet, so the company is telling the feds it needs just a little more time. The latest excuses:
Peter Slaiby, the vice president of Shell’s Alaskan operation, said Sunday that the firm asked the Interior Department for an extension of a little less than two weeks to drill in the Chukchi Sea. Shell has dealt with equipment delays that have pushed it close to its Sept. 24 cut-off date, and the firm has yet to obtain its final federal permits.
Slaiby said Shell’s Arctic Challenger ship will have all the necessary equipment and certifications by the end of the week, giving it about two weeks in the Chukchi Sea.
These guys are like a crappy tenant, always asking for just a couple more days on the rent because, you know, payday is coming up and they had a flat tire that they had to get fixed or they’d get fired because they already have a warning and also their roommate still owes for the cable. See the video below for footage from Shell’s conversation with the government, played here by a baby.
To be fair, the original Sept. 24 deadline was based on when the Department of the Interior expected ice to return to the area. Given the big news of the day, it seems quite possible that the ice isn’t going to return on schedule. Government might just as well sigh and give Shell one more chance — but this is the last chance, guys! — and let Shell go back inside, clear the pizza boxes off the couch, and see if any of its friends are holding.
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