Gov. Sean Parnell wants Alaskans who are out of work as a result of President Barack Obama's moratorium on new offshore drilling to be eligible for compensation.

Parnell appears to be referring specifically to people who were ready to go to work for Royal Dutch Shell this summer in the Arctic Ocean, off of Alaska's north slope. Shell planned to have its exploratory drilling rig in place in early July, but the project was halted as a result of the moratorium. Shell has previously said it had more than $100 million in contracts with Alaskan businesses ready to help it carry out its exploratory mission.

Here's the governor's press release:

Governor Parnell Urges Compensation for Displaced OCS Workers

June 17, 2010, Anchorage, Alaska -- Governor Sean Parnell today directed Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Click Bishop to work to ensure that Alaskans are included in compensation for oil rig workers left unemployed following President Obama's moratorium on Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) drilling.

"Our prayers are with the families and communities devastated by this tragedy, but it's not just residents in the Gulf Coast region who are suffering from the uncertainty that comes with unemployment," Governor Parnell said. "Hundreds of Alaskans were ready to roll up their sleeves and get to work on Shell's exploration project this summer."

Governor Parnell reacted to a $100 million fund voluntarily established by BP to compensate workers for lost wages from the president's moratorium on offshore drilling.

"This compensation will be only temporary. I look forward to working with our congressional delegation to urge the Obama administration to apply the same rules to Alaska as to the Gulf Coast," the governor said. "Once shallow water drilling is allowed to resume there, we all need to make sure federal agencies treat Arctic OCS activities equally under the law."

Contact Jill Burke at jill(at)alaskadispatch.com.