Great sigh of relief as Shell exits the Chukchi

A great sigh of relief could be heard all across Alaska's North Slope as word spread of Shell's decision to end its Chukchi drilling efforts.

The summer of 2015 has been filled with worry as Native Iñupiat across Alaska's North Slope faced an uncertain future as Shell drilled the Burger J exploration well at the edge of Hanna Shoal, a sensitive marine ecosystem and source of life-sustaining subsistence food for many. 

"There are a lotta happy faces here in Barrow. Peace to the Ocean!!!", declared Gilford Mongoyak III from the North Slope village of Barrow, Alaska this morning.   Mongoyak recently created the "No To Shell" Facebook group that rapidly gained over a thousand members and served to give voice and hope to Native Alaskans opposed to Shell's drilling campaign across the North Slope. 

Mae Hank from the village of Point Hope, an outspoken advocate of Arctic Ocean protection for decades, pronounced, "Yes, mission accomplished from all the Warriors nationwide, united we stand we win one by one!" when asked about Shell's announcement to pull out of its Arctic drilling campaign earlier today.

Shell's operations interrupted daily life across the slope this summer serving as a stark reminder of the intense impacts that Village communities could expect from continued oil and gas development.

"We've seen a marked rise in opposition to Shell in front line Village communities, despite intense pressure from within to keep quiet", said Ceal Smith, co-founder of Chukchi Sea Watch. "People in Barrow are irate because Shell's helicopters scared caribou away from subsistence hunters gathering meat for the coming winter.  Worries about toxic discharges surrounding the drill site and seismic testing disturbing the fall Bowhead whale hunt were widespread" said Smith.  "Intense pressure and fear of reprisals kept people from speaking openly, but that changed as the season wore on and people realized they couldn't live under the Shell shadow". 

Carl Jennings from Kotzebue summed up the feelings of many that, "Living in the Arctic shows me daily why there shouldn't be oil development that endangers our true sustainable resources, the marine mammals and animals that have fed and clothed us for thousands of years. We as a global community need to work towards clean renewable energy".  

Mark Gutman from Chukchi Sea Watch noted that, "Shell's 7 billion dollar gamble for its unproductive exploratory effort, along with unknown millions spent by permitting Federal agencies, are overshadowed by the extraordinary cost of oil spills and no proven ability to clean them up. The toxic discharge and harmful harassment of marine life, coupled with no capacity to clean or rescue animals once they become injured or contaminated along with the disruption of Native subsistence are all additional costs which should not be paid on Shell's behalf.  We are glad to see Shell go."

"This pivot point is an ideal opportunity for the United States, as Chair of the U.N. Arctic Council, to advance renewable energy and a rapid transition away from fossil fuels as a priority among Arctic nations in addressing climate change", said Gutman.