News bites: Shell’s Arctic drilling imperiled, MIT’s Moniz may replace Chu, and more

The New York Times reports on the latest blow to Royal Dutch Shell’s plans to drill for oil in Arctic waters off Alaska’s coast.

“Royal Dutch Shell said on Monday that it had decided to tow its two drill vessels there to Asian ports for major repairs, jeopardizing its plans to begin drilling for oil in the icy northern seas next summer,” the paper reports.

The Christian Science Monitor reports on speculation that MIT physicist and energy expert Ernest Moniz will replace the outgoing Steven Chu as Energy secretary.

The Washington Post unwraps the claims flying around the political battle over natural-gas exports, and argues that the fight may be “overblown.”

USA Today looks at rising gasoline prices.