Greenpeace activists and marine biologists conducting research in the area documented thick accumulations of soft coral in the Chukchi Sea near an area where Shell plans exploratory oil drilling. The move is the latest bid by environmental advocates to keep a spotlight on Shell's Arctic plans and the marine life they say could be irrevocably damaged by an oil spill. According to Shell surveys around its Burger Prospect in the Chukchi Sea, the coral represented only about 4 percent of the epifaunal species the firm collected beginning in 2008. The existence of the coral is not documented in publicly available versions of Interior Department's broad environmental impact statement for Chukchi Sea oil leasing nor a government-produced environmental assessment focused on Shell's drilling plan. A spokeswoman for the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management said the agency's decisions about Shell's proposed exploration "were based on years of comprehensive study and analyses of the potential effects of offshore activity on the environment, including seafloor habitats."
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