Environmentalists ask court for delay in Arctic Ocean drilling but Shell says time is now

Shell to court: Ready to drill Arctic Ocean

PORTLAND, Ore. — Shell Oil says it’s ready to drill in the Arctic Ocean and has plans to deal with any problems if a federal appeals court allows it to begin its exploration project on schedule in July.

Shell told a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Portland on Thursday it has met nearly all the government requirements for test drilling in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas off the northwest coast of Alaska.

Lawyers for a coalition of environmentalists and Alaska Native groups argue more study is needed, especially after the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spill showed the risk of a catastrophe.

The coalition says it’s much harder to clean up a large spill in the Arctic’s harsh climate.