Some of us in Alaska have been as attuned to Shell’s offshore drilling plans as we are to the summer Olympics. For years, we have watched Shell jump over hurdle after hurdle, much like a gold-medal Olympian, only to be delayed by baseless litigation by opposition groups and regulatory strangulation by the federal government. Now, with Shell in the final stages of approval by the feds, a final — hopefully surmountable — hurdle remains.