The Obama administration will approve more energy drilling in Arctic waters, though at a pace that allows more research before additional permits are issued, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Tuesday. The administration will hold new lease sales for energy companies to drill in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas just north of Alaska, Salazar told reporters in a conference telephone call. However, the new leases will not be issued until 2016, allowing more time so that countries bordering the Arctic can identify the region's resources and determine which areas need to be protected, Salazar said. “These resources, if developed safely, can be an important component to the all-of-the-above energy strategy," Salazar said.
