JUNEAU, Alaska, May 2 (UPI) -- Shell aims to get permission from Alaskan authorities to drill as many as 10 new wells there, though environmentalists say they are worried about the fallout.

Shell has spent billions of dollars in securing offshore leases to explore for oil off the coast of Alaska and aims to drill as many as 10 new wells there during the next two years.


The arctic regions of the U.S. state hold as much as 27 billion barrels of oil, though some fields in the region are in marked decline.

Marilyn Heiman, director of the U.S. arctic program for the Pew Environment Group, said the benefits of exploration off the coast of Alaska must be weighed against the risks.

"We believe there need to be more spill drills, more testing, more inspections of the drill rig and blowout preventer before they begin," she told The New York Times of Shell's plans.

The Times notes the U.S. Interior Department warned that as much as 1.4 million barrels of oil could spill during an Alaskan accident before any permanent fix was successful.

Shell aims to employ two drill ships that could respond to a potential disaster in Alaskan waters. Any development from Shell, the Times adds, is years away.