A federal agency is again asking Royal Dutch Shell PLC for more details about drilling plans in the Chukchi Sea off Alaska's northwest coast. Shell submitted a 2014 drilling plan Nov. 26. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management requested additional information Dec. 20 and again Tuesday. The company had been asked previously to provide information on modifications to its drill ship, the Noble Discoverer, to address deficiencies. BOEM in the latest request asked Shell for assurances of management changes that previously had allowed the deficiencies to remain unresolved on the drill vessel. The agency also wants technical information on how Shell concluded permafrost was not present in a pilot hole drilled in 2012. Shell has not decided whether to drill in the Chukchi this year.
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