Statoil is Latest Oil Company to Abandon Arctic Ocean Drilling - Oceana

Statoil is Latest Oil Company to Abandon Arctic Ocean Drilling

Press Release Date: November 17, 2015

Location: JUNEAU, AK

Contact:

Anna Baxter | email: abaxter@oceana.org
Anna Baxter

Today, Statoil marks the second major oil company – following Shell in September – to announce its cancellation of Arctic Ocean oil and gas operations in U.S. waters off Alaska. Statoil will abandon its 16 active leases in the Chukchi Sea and an additional 50 leases that it owned in part with ConocoPhillips.

Susan Murray, Oceana’s Deputy Vice President, Pacific issued the following statement in response to Statoil’s announcement:

“Decisions made by oil companies in the Arctic Ocean are finally starting to make sense. First Shell and now Statoil abandoning offshore leases sends a strong message to decision makers meeting in Paris next month. Pursuing oil and gas in the U.S. Arctic Ocean is too risky and expensive for both the environment and companies’ economic portfolios. The global threats imposed by climate change require that decisions made about important Arctic Ocean resources apply careful planning, precaution, and science to ensure a sustainable future for the Arctic and, in turn, our planet. The U.S. can lead this charge by removing the Arctic Ocean from the next 5-Year OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program.”