Drilling for oil in the Arctic refuge has been a highly active public battle for years now... in the USA that is. Now after decades of talking it seems the area is safe from drilling. Unfortunately now Russia, with its more than abominable track record in environmental protection, is pretty active lately in securing its so-called 'rights' to the Arctic shelf... and it happens to contain a LOT of oil & natural gas. Abominable track record + access to pristine environmental richness = trouble.