Retired Coast Guard Admiral Robert Papp says the U.S. hasn't lost interest in the Arctic even if Royal Dutch Shell has. Shell dropped its plans to drill for crude in Arctic waters off Alaska last year. "I'm told it's going to be a while before oil prices get high enough to initiate more research and drilling in the Arctic, but ships are going to continue to go into the Arctic," he said, as melting ice due to a warming climate opens up the region's potential, not just for oil and gas production but also shorter trade routes. He spoke at a Brookings Institution appearance April 25 marking the halfway point of the two-year U.S. chairmanship of the Arctic Council.
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