Washington Post: An effort to bring oil rigs to waters off the Alaskan coast took a step forward Monday as the Obama administration granted conditional approval to a plan by Shell Gulf of Mexico to begin exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea.
The decision by the Interior Departments Bureau of Ocean Energy Management removes a major obstacle to Shells years-long effort to begin oil and gas operations in U.S. Arctic waters. But the company must still obtain federal and state permits before any drilling can begin....