When Shell’s prior plans to drill for oil in the Arctic Ocean were challenged by various groups concerned about the impact on the environment and marine life in the region resulting in a lawsuit and a court order for the company to stop drilling, Shell immediately appealed the decision. The big oil company also started working on a revised drilling plan. The original drilling plan was given the go ahead by the Bush administration without the benefit of a full environmental review and was immediately challenged. more »

Cooperation on Arctic issues will be the new emphasis between Canada and Russia rather than the recently increased rhetoric over Arctic sovereignty, a senior Russian official says.

After some bilateral meetings between the two countries’ foreign ministers, Canada and Russia are “absolutely” on more co-operative footing when it comes to such things as cross-polar air and sea routes, Sergey Petrov, a senior diplomat at the Russian Embassy in Ottawa, said Tuesday. more »