Today the Department of Interior announced it will allow Shell to begin “limited prepatory activities” in the Chukchi Sea. This will allow Shell to begin work on a mud-line cellar and install two segments of pipe which will help in installing the blowout preventer.

The window of opportunity to perform these activities is extremely small on the Chukchi Sea and it’s important that Shell be able to continue to move forward. Today is an important step in the development of a major offshore resource that will benefit our economy and create jobs.

As Shell continues to move forward with this project we are hopeful that the Department of Interior and other government agencies will recognize the need to approve future permits in a timely manner. By moving faster it will enable these valuable resources to come online faster without delay and create thousands of jobs in the process.

Ross Eisenberg is vice president of energy and resources policy, National Association of Manufacturers.

Yesterday was a big step for Artic oil exploration as two Shell drilling ships and support vessels left Seattle for the Artic. The ships are heading north to begin exploration of the Beaufort Sea off Alaska’s north coast and the Chukchi Sea off the northwest coast.

Given the extremely low temperatures of the Artic the window for oil and gas exploration is very small, which was why it was extremely important Shell begins this summer. This is also why it is extremely important the Department of Interior issue all the necessary permits this summer.  Any additional delay will force Shell to wait until next summer, costing us a chance to develop key domestic oil and gas resources.

Earlier this week Interior Secretary Salazar said that the department is “highly likely” to greenlight the permits and also said he is “confident and comfortable” that Shell can drill safely. The Secretary went on to say he believes the approved plan will stand up to any lawsuits from environmental groups.

We hope that the department will move forward and approve all remaining permits as soon as possible so Shell can begin exploration. This is an important step for energy development in the artic. We need to do more to develop domestic sources of energy and today is a step in the right direction.

Last night’s bipartisan vote in favor of H.R. 2021, the Jobs and Energy Permitting Acts was a big step in the right direction for domestic energy production. This is important to manufacturers because this measure will expand our domestic energy supply and create new, high paying jobs that will help in our economic recovery.

This legislation eliminates needless regulations that have resulted in endless litigation and prolonged delays in energy exploration and production off the coast of Alaska. With these barriers removed, job creators can finally get out of the courtrooms and back to their rigs.

The Senate has introduced companion legislation which has already received bipartisan support, and the backing of manufacturers.

Manufacturers played an important role in passage of this bill by placing a full page ad in Roll Call and also sending a Key Vote letter to members of Congress in support of H.R. 2021, the Jobs and Energy Permitting Act.

Now all eyes turn to the Senate, where both of Alaska’s Senators have been vocal in their support of this measure.

With the grim announcement today of the unemployment rate ticking up to 9.1 percent and only 54,000 jobs created in May, nearly 100,000 short of the estimated number, the issues of creating jobs by putting our domestic energy companies back to work is taking center stage in Congress.

Yesterday, in the House of Representatives, offshore drilling was the hot topic with three committees holding hearings on the issue. Manufacturers know that resuming drilling in the Gulf of Mexico and increasing domestic energy production will help invigorate our embattled economy and add more jobs to the payrolls.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed a measure yesterday to streamline permitting for offshore drilling operations and to eliminate the bureaucratic red tape that holds up new exploration and production. According to the Committee, the measure will help create jobs and increase domestic energy supplies.

In the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Chairman Issa released a report critical of the BP/Administration Response to the Gulf Oil Spill and also held a hearing assessing the recovery efforts after the spill. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and Director Michael Bromwich from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement at the Department of the Interior, both testified.

And in round three of hearings, the House Natural Resources Committee , Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a hearing on Alaskan oil and gas drilling, and the need for faster action in the permitting process. The subcommittee stressed the importance of expediting exploration and production to reduce dependence on foreign oil and create hundreds of thousands of jobs.

As summer goes on and gas prices hover around four dollars a gallon, unemployment continues to tick up, the cost of goods and services rises, domestic energy production will continue to remain in the forefront of congressional debates.