According to numerous sources, as expected, Shell Alaska has announced that it submitted Wednesday afternoon an offshore exploration drilling plan to federal authorities for its leases in Alaska's Beaufort Sea. The plan calls for as many as four exploration wells to be drilled in the Beaufort over the next two years. Shell Alaska Vice President Pete Slaiby told The Associated Press that the company next plans to submit its exploration plan for leases in the Chukchi Sea, seeking permission for up to six wells there over the next two years. The Houston Chronicle details what aspects of the Beaufort drilling plan federal regulators will likely focus on in their review. And read the Beaufort press release from Shell Alaska spokesman Curtis Smith via Alaska Newspapers Inc.