“Running On Empty…” Fuel gauge. Photo source: ©© Natasha Wheatland
Excerpts;
Royal Dutch Shell’s quest to drill exploratory wells in Arctic waters has received a boost with the affirmation that its federal air permits for the Chukchi Sea were properly granted. The EPA Appeals Board on Thursday rejected challenges to the air permits brought by Alaska Native and conservation groups.
Shell Alaska spokesman Curtis Smith said in a formal announcement that the decision means Shell, for the first time, has usable air permits that will allow its drill ship, the Noble Discoverer, to work in the outer continental shelf off Alaska’s northwest coast in 2012…
Why Shell Continues Besides Latest Worst Oil Spill In Niger Delta?
Oil spills in the Niger Delta have become so common that entire ecosystems are wiped away, eliminating the major source of livelihood of fishermen living on the coastland and forcing many residents to find alternative sources of livelihoods.The recent such disaster inflicted on the country by Royal Dutch Shell is the offshore oil spill on its Bonga oil facility which is reported to have spilled over 30,000 barrels of crude oil on the water body and has a capacity of two million barrels of oil holding capacity, a disaster the company is easily walking away from as usual.The company cleverly declares the spill as a force majeure thereby freeing itself of any obligation such as fine that may be imposed on it and, so far, there has been no investigation by the Nigerian government through its National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to find out if the company’s claim of a force majeure is tenable.
