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Shell Oil could soon be given permission to drill in the Arctic

Environmental activists oppose the decision.

By Thor Benson
U.S. President Barack Obama (not shown) announces Sally Jewell, chief executive officer of Recreational Equipment Inc., as his nominee to become secretary of the U.S. Interior Department at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, February 6, 2013. Obama said Jewell's background as an engineer and experience in the banking, energy and retail industries give her the skills needed to manage a department that oversees 500 million acres of public land. File photo by Andrew Harrer/Pool/UPI
U.S. President Barack Obama (not shown) announces Sally Jewell, chief executive officer of Recreational Equipment Inc., as his nominee to become secretary of the U.S. Interior Department at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, February 6, 2013. Obama said Jewell's background as an engineer and experience in the banking, energy and retail industries give her the skills needed to manage a department that oversees 500 million acres of public land. File photo by Andrew Harrer/Pool/UPI | License Photo

HOUSTON, March 22 (UPI) -- Shell Oil Company, one of the largest oil companies in the world, could soon be allowed to drill for oil in the American Arctic.

The decision rests on the U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, who is expected to announce the decision on Wednesday.

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The drilling will occur in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas of the Arctic, near Alaska. Environmentalists are concerned with the issue, since technology has not been prepared to deal with an oil spill in that region. The Environmental Impact Statement claims there is a 75 percent chance of a large spill occurring.

"Developing the Arctic could be essential to securing energy supplies for the future, but it will mean balancing economic, environmental and social challenges," reads Shell's website.

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