Our Friends at the Alliance note that this Friday, May 1st is the deadline for comments on Shell’s Revised Exploration Plan (EP) for the Chukchi Sea. The EP can be found on The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) website at:

www.boem.gov/shell-chukchi/

Comments are only accepted and considered by BOEM if they are submitted through the federal eRulemaking Portal. Click here to use the Portal.

Points to consider for our comments:

  • Shell’s revised Exploration Plan is complete and fully addresses all of the major activities associated with offshore exploration in the Chukchi Sea. The EP should be approved in an expeditious manner so drilling can occur this summer.
  • With a sustained level of leasing and exploration drilling activity over the next 15 years, offshore Alaska could yield significant new domestic production by the mid-2030s and sustain this level of production through mid-century and beyond.
  • The federal government estimates there are 23.6 billion barrels of recoverable oil and 104.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas planning areas. America’s offshore Arctic oil and gas deposits could be among the largest in the world.
  • Offshore development in the Alaska Arctic has the potential to be a significant contributor to our nation’s energy security, as well as a significant source of long-term jobs for Americans. It is estimated that economic activity from the development of Arctic energy resources would create an annual average of 54,700 jobs nationwide with a cumulative payroll of $154 billion over the next 50 years.
  • Arctic OCS oil and gas production could generate approximately $200 billion in federal, state, and local government revenue. Offshore development would also help extend the longevity of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, which is critical and strategic infrastructure to the nation’s energy security.