NPR News - Alaska's Economy Takes A Hit With Shell's Decision To Halt Drilling

http://www.npr.org/2015/09/29/444398797/alaskas-economy-takes-a-hit-with-shells-decision-to-halt-drilling

Now Shell's has announced announcement prompted the a range of reactions of in Alaska. Rachel XXXX, at the Waldholz of Alaska immediately Public Media reports.

Alaska Gov. XXXX Bill Walker is calling Shell's announcement, by a huge disappointment. And he says the end of Shell's offshore dreams means the state must push harder for the federal government to allow drilling in another XXXXXcontroversial region - the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

When it gets more We need to get some oil in the pipeline, and we need to do it as quickly as possible. And If it's not XXXXX going to come from offshore, let's see it safely develop from XXXX. it from onshore.

Alaska depends on wealthy of vestment oil for the vast majority of state XXXX. revenue. It's been hit hard, not only by plumbing plummeting oil prices but by the climbing declining production. That means has meant less oil flowing to the XXX ofAlaska through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. The NATO Alaska cooperation Native Alaskan Arctic Slope Regional Corporation is also expressing frustration. In a written statement, President XXXX Rex Rock says that without more oil and gas development, communities in the region face a fiscal crisis beyond measure and blaming blames federal regulators for Shell's decision. For But for others...

Where is XXXXX, live Rosemary Ahtuangaruak lives in remote barrel Barrow, Alaska. The city is in the middle of false systems XXXX. its fall-subsistence whale hunt. Shell's expiration will exploration was just 150 miles away. Speaking with her grandchildren playing in the background, and XXX Ahtuangaruak says it's crucial to protect the environment and the their Alaskan Native way of life for the next generation.

We're not prepare. prepared. We didn't have construction enough infrastructure and resources to be able to respond to another. an adverse event. She says on paper, there's a plan to deal with any spill. But the reality has turned to the of tryingto work in our harsh environment, there is no proven to respond to of spill. method to respond to an adverse event of a spill.

Shell's project would open have opened up an entirely new area to drilling. Lower XXXX and world Lois Epstein of The Wilderness Society says that would have had long-term replication where repercussions well outside the region.

Once you invest in the infrastructure to do that, we are gonna going to be relying on fossil fuels for that much longer.

Meanwhile, XXXXX Shell still needs to cap and seal the exploratory well and move it to its rival drilling rigs and doesn't have dozens of support XXX vessels out of the Arctic before the arrival of winter CIS. sea ice.