It would be a tragedy to ruin one of the last relatively unspoiled parts of the world.

is the goal stopping exploration or just not enabling it? cuz if our port doesn't store the rigs, someone will. polar bears can't hunt seals from the moral high ground.

With the ice melting however, shipping will be easier and safer.

Run for Port Commissioner, Mister Larsen; you'll have my support. And my campaign donation.

@Sargon Bighorn, I feel that it is necessary to correct you on a few minor points. First, while Mt. Larsen used fossil fuels in his expeditions, I believe that he would have preferred to use something else as a fuel source. Secondly, no one is advocating for saving the Arctic wilderness at the expense of, say Nigeria or for that matter anywhere else. And to your last point, electric cars are a viable alternative. Both Tesla and BMW, as well as others, provide excellent electric vehicles that should satisfy your need for quality transportation. As of this writing, you can install solar panels, charge a luxury electric car, and drive it around all you need. Given the existing technologies, I believe there are no more excuses to continue the development of fossil fuels.

@8 Well said. I'll add, the known current amount of carbon in known oil reserves is 2,795 gigatons, far more than the amount we can burn and still maintain anything close to a livable climate. Why Shell would go looking for new reserves, in one of the most dangerous and remote regions in the world then? Greed and arrogance.

@1: DJSauvage: Agreed!
@7 Hacksaw: Agreed! I second Eric Larsen's nomination for Port Commissioner of Seattle!
@8; Sargon Bighorn: You make some good, strong points on finding healthy, green alternatives for transportation. But don't just bash cars--even electric ones---for being the sole reason that our region is in such environmental jeopardy. @9 tarnali said it: It's all about corporate greed run amok.
@9 tarnali: Thank you for beating me to it. This shit is all about corporate greed and arrogance. Big Oil (and Big Coal) don't give a rat's ass about recklessly destroying any remaining parts of the world for their selfish "record profits".

I am suspicious of someone named Eric Larsen, spelled with an "e" which signifies either a Dane or more likely a Norwegian ancestry, coming out in opposition to American drilling in the Arctic. Its a Norwegian conspiracy I tell you!!

@12 And what is it about Norwegians? Them's fighting words, ya shure!