(MCT) — WASHINGTON — Critics want a halt to offshore Arctic drilling in the wake of Shell’s latest mishap in the waters off Alaska, but there’s no sign the Obama administration and key members of Congress are backing off their support for drilling in the sensitive region.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar let Shell begin preparatory drilling in Alaska’s Arctic waters this summer, the first time in two decades. Environmental groups on Thursday called for the administration to immediately put a stop to all permitting for Arctic offshore oil exploration as a result of Monday’s grounding of Shell’s drilling rig in Alaska. But Salazar isn’t willing to put the permits on hold.