Anchorage - Shell is limiting Arctic drilling off Alaska to
just preparation work this year after suffering several setbacks, but the
company says it remains optimistic about the project's prospects.
Netherlands-based Royal Dutch Shell announced earlier Monday
that a containment dome being tested off the coast of Bellingham, Wash., was
damaged Saturday.
Environmental groups quickly blasted the company, saying the
latest setback and others are evidence the oil industry cannot safely drill in
the Arctic.
The president of Royal Dutch Shell's US subsidiary, Shell
Oil Co, told The Associated Press that, although the company no longer plans to
drill deep enough to reach oil this year, it has made great strides with its
exploratory wells off the Alaska coast.
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