ANCHORAGE, Alaska - May 13 - In response to Shell’s submission of its Chukchi Sea exploration plan for 2012-2013 to the Interior Department, Center for Biological Diversity Alaska director Rebecca Noblin made the following statement:

“Despite all the rhetoric about oil-spill response and containment systems, Shell still has no realistic plan for dealing with an oil spill in the harsh, icy conditions of the Arctic Ocean. Without the infrastructure and the technology to address a large oil spill, Shell cannot legally drill in the Arctic.

“Shell’s plan shows that it has learned nothing from its legal troubles or from the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Shell’s current plan is unprecedented in scope, proposing to drill more wells, using more support vessels than ever.

“Ramping up Arctic development when there’s no way to deal with an oil spill is dangerous and illegal. Arctic wildlife, including polar bears and walruses, are already struggling as their sea-ice home melts beneath them. They simply cannot withstand a large oil spill at this precarious time.

“Given the urgent imperative to transition to a clean-energy future to preserve a safe climate and the web of life we all depend on, opening the Arctic to dirty and risky oil development defies common sense.

“We call on the Obama administration to reject Shell’s illegal and unwise Arctic drilling plans.”