White House clears way for Shell to drill in Arctic

Washington

THE Obama administration cleared the way on Wednesday for Shell to start drilling in the Arctic Ocean this summer, but the safety restrictions that it is imposing could slow the pace at which rigs strike oil.

The authorisation was widely expected, after the Interior Department gave conditional approval in May for the company's long-delayed application to drill in the untouched waters of the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's north-west coast.