The EPA has issued an air permit to Shell Gulf of Mexico, Inc. (Shell) for the drilling of three exploratory wells in the Chukchi Sea, off the coast of Alaska.  This permit is reportedly the first "major-source" air-quality permit ever issued for the Arctic OCS.  MMS approved Shell's Exploratory Plan related to these three wells in December.

On July 1, the EPA released a pre-publication rule that would reduce emissions from diesel engines on oceangoing vessels by banning the production and sale of marine fuel oil above 1,000 ppm sulfur, as well as introducing new NOx standards for Category 3 marine diesel engines.  Once the proposal is published in the Federal Register (expected before July 24), there will be 30 days to comment.  

Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Final Rule and a Proposed Rule to update the OCS air quality standards in North Carolina and Alaska, respectively. These rules are promulgated pursuant the Clean Air Act (CAA). The CAA mandates the routine update of air quality regulations governing OCS sources located within 25 miles of a state’s seaward boundary except for certain areas in the Gulf of Mexico. The OCS standards must be updated to match the corresponding on-shore air quality regulations (COA). These rules will append the Code of Federal Regulations to make the appropriate COA rules applicable to sources on the OCS.