Congress approves Alaskan oil drilling

The U.S. House of Representatives voted last Thursday to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling.

Those in favour of drilling the oil reserves say ANWR would reduce the need for oil imports, while environmentalists argue the region should remain a protected wildlife refuge for caribou, polar bears and migratory birds.

The refuge was set aside for protection in 1960 and expanded in 1980, with a demand that its oil could be developed if Congress approved.

Meanwhile, the North Slope village of Kaktovik, a supporter of oil drilling in ANWR, is opposing offshore drilling by a giant oil company, Shell.

Kaktovik’s City Council has passed a resolution calling Shell “a hostile and dangerous force” and authorizing the mayor to take legal or other actions necessary to “defend the community.”

In a news release issued with the resolution, Mayor Lon Sonsalla said Shell had failed to address village concerns about how it would keep seismic testing scheduled for this summer from disturbing migratory bowhead whales and how the company would operate safely in unpredictable sea ice.