Despite falling oil prices, Royal Dutch Shell will aim to restart its Arctic drilling program this summer.

Executives announced those plans during a quarterly earnings call with shareholders and reporters on Thursday. Chief financial officer Simon Henry said Shell will have to make a significant investment if it’s going to get back to Alaska.

"If we drill, if we go ahead, it will be over a billion dollars," Henry said. "Even if we don’t drill, it will be approaching a billion dollars because of the commitment to keep the fleet of ships that we need. Remember, this is a logistics operation as much as drilling."

It’s also a regulatory feat. Shell needs permits and approval for its exploration plan before it can start work in the Chukchi Sea. But the plan can’t be formally reviewed until the Interior Department decides whether to uphold the sale where Shell picked up its leases. A decision is expected in March.

Unalaska is still expected to serve as a hub for Shell's Arctic fleet. Some of those vessels left their mark during the last exploration season in 2012.

The Noble Discoverer drill rig nearly ran aground on Airport Beach during a summer storm. The vessel was moved to a new moorage in Broad Bay -- where it was later revealed to be discharging oily bilge water. The rig operator recently agreed to pay more than $12 million in fines for that and other environmental crimes.

Mayor Shirley Marquardt says she has lingering concerns.

"We’re not going to tolerate that kind of behavior or operations anymore," Marquardt says. "We’re supportive of Shell. We’re supportive of what they bring to the community in terms of business opportunities, revenue. We just want them to know that we’re not going to trade that, however, for turning a blind eye or just saying, ‘Do whatever you need to do in order to take care of yourselves.’ That is not what’s happening."

Marquardt says Shell has made changes to its roster of subcontractors and added new employees with experience in environmental compliance.

The company is still planning to use the Noble Corporation and its Discoverer rig to drill in the Chukchi, though. Greenpeace U.S. Executive Director Annie Leonard criticized that decision in a statement on Thursday. 

“The Obama administration should not reward felonious incompetence with a license to drill,” Leonard said. “If President Obama wants to lead on climate change there is only one choice to make -- do not approve Shell’s Chukchi Sea drilling lease."

APRN's Liz Ruskin contributed to this report.