Chukchi Sea

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Walruses Show Up Early in Alaska as Ice Recedes

It's the earliest 'haulout' ever

(Newser) - Sign of the times? Several hundred Pacific walruses began amassing on an island off Alaska’s northwest coast in the first week of August in what wildlife officials say is the earliest date yet for their annual "haulout." The culprit appears to be shrinking Arctic ice. Walruses tend...

Obama: Go Ahead, Shell, Drill Deeper for That Arctic Oil

Environmentalists lambast decision, saying it will 'worsen climate disruption'

(Newser) - President Obama has disappointed a slew of environmental activists by giving Shell the green light yesterday to drill deeper in the Arctic for oil, Quartz reports. The approval issued by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement expands the oil company's current permissions, allowing it to drill even further...

Planes Rerouted to Prevent Walrus Stampede

FAA warns media, gawkers to stay away, not spook beached animals

(Newser) - Aircraft, media, and curious folks in general have been instructed to stay far away from the 35,000 walruses crammed onto an Alaskan beach to prevent the easily spooked animals from stampeding each other to death, the Guardian reports. "When they lose their sea ice habitat and come ashore...

Shell Sues Greens Over Arctic Drilling

Preemptive lawsuit seeks to avoid challenges to cleanup plan

(Newser) - Lawyers for Shell filed suit against more than a dozen environmental groups yesterday over Arctic drilling. The suit, an unusual preemptive legal strike, seeks to head off future lawsuits by having a federal court declare that Shell's Arctic oil spill response plan for upcoming drilling complies with the law,...

Melting Ice Forces Thousands of Walruses Ashore

Calves at risk of being trampled as animals squeeze onto Alaska coast

(Newser) - Tens of thousands of walruses have squeezed onto small patches of Alaska's shore because of melting ice floes. Scientists say the loss of sea ice has forced the lumbering creatures into a mass migration to land. The huge number of walruses foraging in a small area makes cubs extremely vulnerable...

Senator Blasts 'Foot-Dragging' on Protecting Polar Bear

Feds delay decision due within 1 year

(Newser) - Three months after the deadline for declaring whether polar bears are a threatened species, the Interior Department hasn't issued a ruling, and Barbara Boxer wants to know why. The influential senator said yesterday she wants Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to appear before the environment committee and “answer questions about the...

US Drilling Deals Spark New Fears for Polar Bears

Oils companies to explore frozen seas

(Newser) - The US government has announced $2.7 billion in winning bids for oil drilling rights in 2.8 million acres of Alaska's frozen Chukchi Sea, despite angry objections of lawmakers and environmentalists. The bids include a record $105 million offer from Shell for a single 9-square-mile tract. Environmental groups say...

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