The drillship used to bore part of an Arctic oil well for Shell last summer lacked sufficient propulsion power, had engine problems and posed fire hazards, according to a Coast Guard inspection of the vessel last November and released on Friday.  More »

Arctic drilling and a climate change crusade don’t mix, environmentalists are asserting today in half-page advertisements in USA Today aimed squarely at President Barack Obama.  More »

The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday rapped Shell Oil Co., for violating the terms of air pollution permits governing emissions from its drilling rigs and support vessels operating in Arctic waters last year.  More »

Shell on Wednesday was wrapping up its first-in-a-decade season drilling in U.S. Arctic waters, having punched two holes underneath the Chukchi and Beaufort Sea in search of oil.  More »

On top of the world, nearly 400 miles above the Arctic Circle and 70 miles from the nearest land, optimism is as boundless as the Chukchi Sea stretching on the horizon. Despite repeated setbacks, many on the 124-person team boring an exploratory well for Shell are convinced the company will strike oil here, opening a new frontier in U.S. oil development and making a discovery that could rival the bounty in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico.  More »

Shell’s plans to launch exploratory oil drilling in Arctic waters this summer have been hit by a series of setbacks in recent days.  More »

Environmentalists on Monday mounted a legal challenge of the federal government’s decision to grant Shell Oil Co. air pollution permits it needs to drill exploratory wells in Arctic waters near Alaska. The challenge marks the second major attempt by environmentalists this year to block Shell’s plans for drilling in the region once ice clears next summer.  More »