Shell Wins Approval to Drill for Oil in Alaskan Arctic Waters

Royal Dutch Shell Plc won permission to fully drill a well for oil in the Arctic waters off Alaska for the first time in three years.

The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement granted the permit for the Burger J well in the Chukchi Sea, while limiting drilling at the nearby Burger V site, according to a statement on Monday. Because of a requirement that active rigs have at least 15 miles of space between them, the company can drill only the top section of Burger V.