"Shell remains committed to building an Arctic exploration program that provides confidence to stakeholders and regulators, and meets the high standards the company applies to its operations around the world," Odum said in a statement Wednesday. "We continue to believe that a measured and responsible pace, especially in the exploration phase, fits best in this remote area."

Translation, we will wait till this administration is replaced in 2016 before we spend another $4.5 billion to bring safe, clean energy and jobs to America.

DEBATE NIGHT: PRESIDENT DEFENDS ENERGY RECORD WEEKS AFTER INTERIOR BANS DRILLING ON 11.5M ACRES OF ‘PETROLEUM RESERVE'

President Barack Obama during Tuesday's presidential debate claimed that his administration has taken an even-handed approach to both tradition fuel sources (i.e. coal and oil) and "green" energy.

In case you missed it, the U.S. Department of the Interior in August made the decision to close off from drilling "nearly half of the 23.5 million acre National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska," according to the Wall Street Journal, which would seem to fly in the face of the president's oft-repeated claim that his administration is fostering some sort of oil boom.

Lastly, Alaskans are afraid the National Petroleum Reserve will be turned into yet another political football:

The greens now want Congress to rename the energy reserve the "Western Arctic Reserve" to give the false impression that it is a fragile wildlife area. Some parts of the area are environmentally sensitive, but those 1.5 million acres (around Teshekpuk Lake) had already been set aside. Most of the other 11.5 million acres are almost indistinguishable from acreage owned by the state that is being drilled safely nearby.

#7 | POSTED BY HAGBARD_CELINE

The rig broke it's towing lines in heavy weather and it's the end of the world. Carnival Pride Cruise Ship breaks a towing line and no one but the passengers cares.

After finishing the preliminary work at this location in October, in late December the rig was being towed to Seattle when it broke free of tow ropes in heavy seas and ran aground near Kodiak Island. The grounding -- one of a series of serious mistakes Shell has committed while trying to convince the US that oil drilling in the Arctic Ocean is safe -- occurred after Shell's towing vessels and the US Coast Guard had tried to keep the Kulluk in control during a storm for several days. Eighteen crew members of the Kulluk were rescued by the Coast Guard a day before the rig touched bottom along a rocky shore on a smaller island just south of Kodiak Island. The Kulluk has a draft of about 11 meters (35 feet) and has no propulsion of its own. When weather settled down, the rig was towed off the rocks and is undergoing inspections. Adding to the many other Shell mistakes and delays, the company was cited on January 10 for numerous violations of EPA air pollution permits by its rigs in the Arctic Ocean last summer. US Interior Department has begun a 60-day review of Shell's Arctic offshore drilling operations.

A well balanced article well worth the read.

Why Environmentalists Should Support Oil Exploration In Alaska's Arctic Waters

In his is a guest column by Bob Reiss. He is author of "The Eskimo and the Oil Man," just published, for which he spent three years reporting with many trips to Alaska. Reiss has written for Smithsonian, Outside and Parade Magazines on the Arctic, and is the author of 18 books.

After awhile I realized I'd stumbled onto a story of compromise. Shell was making concession after concession, some demanded for good reasons by the Department of Interior, some made to meet the logical fears of Edward and North Slope whaling Captains, some because other agencies ordered them.

Shell shrank the number of ships coming, agreed to suspend operations during whale hunting weeks, offered to let federal inspectors remain on board 24 hours a day, and promised to carry away drill cuttings (muds) that otherwise would have been discharged into the ocean. Shell met EPA emission requirements and will soon test a new cap and containment system designed to stop a blowout and gather up spilled oil.

In short, as a Green I believe it important to balance environmental protection with development and I had to face a fundamental truth about that in writing "The Eskimo and the Oil Man." Balance means you have to allow drilling at times, not just always say no.