"This matter moved at such a fast pace that we are concerned the port did not give the applicability of SEPA [State Environmental Policy Act] and the environmental implications of this lease full consideration," Goldman writes.

"Our concern is with the proposal by Foss, in partnership with Royal Dutch Shell, to use approximately 50 acres of Terminal 5 as a home port for offshore exploration drilling and support vessels," the letter adds.

As if on cue, Shell recently announced that it intends to pursue a drilling program in Alaska's Chukchi Sea this year.

Foss Maritime says leasing a portion of Terminal 5 would bring hundreds of jobs to the waterfront.

Earthjustice has trepidations about Foss' plan to serve as a Seattle-based home port for Shell's Arctic fleet with vessel repair, conversion, and construction and maintenance, Goldman adds. Shell's Arctic drilling fleet has an "abysmal track record when it comes to water pollution and compliance with environmental laws," she writes.

Theobald says he doesn't object to the idea of taking oil, but he has concerns about the people in the region who have built their homes, schools and communities atop the frozen tundra.

"The frozen ground—if that starts to thaw, theories are in place [that say] it could release untold amounts of methane and carbon dioxide," he says. "Once it starts to thaw, it will continue to thaw."

Theobald sees the inherent irony: The ice melt caused by the burning of fossil fuels simultaneously increases the potential for more oil drilling in the Arctic. "It is crazy," he says. "I hope that those in control … are circumspect about how fragile the area is about melting. It is an amazingly powerful thing."