FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                 CONTACT: ROBERT DILLON (202) 224-6977

OCTOBER 19, 2009                                                  or ANNE JOHNSON (202) 224-7875   

 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today welcomed the announcement that the Department of the Interior’s Minerals Management Service has approved Shell’s exploration plan for two leases in the Beaufort Sea.

 

“Today’s announcement from the Minerals Management Service, approving Shell’s plan of exploration for the Beaufort Sea, is an encouraging sign that Alaska’s oil and natural gas resources will continue to play a major role in America’s energy security,” Murkowski said.

 

“This is good news as we advance increasingly serious discussions on energy legislation in the Senate,” Murkowski said. “I will continue to work with the administration to ensure that environmentally responsible exploration is also allowed to move forward in the Chukchi Sea, and to secure revenue sharing for Alaska.”