WASHINGTON - Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) expressed concern that a Shell Oil drilling rig has run aground in Alaska after it broke free from its moorings and from the towboats that had been pulling it to safety. Rep. Markey, the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, which oversees oil drilling, previously questioned the safety of drilling in the Arctic, most recently following the failure of a containment dome test for Arctic drilling.
Below is the statement of Rep. Markey:
“Oil companies keep saying they can conquer the Arctic, but the Arctic keeps disagreeing with the oil companies. It's clear from multiple incidents that oil companies cannot currently drill safely in the foreboding conditions of the Arctic, and drilling expansion could prove disastrous for this sensitive environment.
“I will continue to monitor this developing situation, and am hopeful that no oil or fuel will spill into the environment."
Contact: Eben Burnham-Snyder, Rep. Ed Markey, 202-225-6065
