LOGO: Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines. A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman. Winner 2013 Webby Awards for Best Political Website
May 19, 2013

 Choose a size
Text Size

Trending:     chris hedges     economy     elizabeth warren     politics     robert scheer
Most Read

Letter From Birmingham Jail

Chilling: Arctic Tundra ‘Will Turn to Forest’

Truthdigger of the Week: Sen. Angus King

'The Daily Show': Stewart Slams Hypocrites Cheney and Rumsfeld

'Left, Right & Center': The White House Scandal Trifecta

Most Comments
Most Emailed

Reports
 * NEW! * Chilling: Arctic Tundra ‘Will Turn to Forest’
How the IRS’ Nonprofit Division Got So Dysfunctional

Ear to the Ground

A/V Booth

Arts & Culture
Act of Congress
Daily Rituals
The Girls of Atomic City

Digs

Truthdig Bazaar
Get Rich Cheating

Get Rich Cheating

Jeff Kreisler
$14.99 NOW $10.19

more items

 
Ear to the Ground

Fighting a Shell Game in the Arctic

Email this item Email    Print this item Print    Share this item... Share

Posted on Jan 24, 2010
Flickr / B69D

The legal claim accuses government regulators under the Bush administration of skimping on assessing the environmental dangers of oil drilling in the Chukchi Sea.

A legal challenge by environmental and indigenous Alaskan groups may dampen Shell Oil’s chances of drilling for billions of barrels of oil in the U.S. portion of the Arctic’s Chukchi Sea. It’s feared the controversial plan could spell disaster for endangered species as well as increase global warming. —JCL

The Guardian:

Royal Dutch Shell’s controversial plans to drill for billions of barrels of oil in the Arctic’s environmentally sensitive frozen waters face a potentially damaging legal challenge.

An alliance of conservation and Alaskan indigenous groups has filed a legal claim to prevent Shell drilling for oil this year in the Arctic Ocean’s Chukchi Sea. Two years ago, Shell paid $2.1bn (£1.3bn) to the US government for 275 oil leases there.

The legal claim accuses the US’s minerals management service, part of the federal interior department, of waving through permission to allow Shell to drill wells on the basis of an “abbreviated and internal review” of the environmental dangers of exploration.

The US portion of the Chukchi Sea, which separates north-western Alaska from north-eastern Siberia, is believed to hold 15bn barrels of recoverable oil and 76tn cubic feet of recoverable natural gas, according to the interior department.

Read more

More Below the Ad

Advertisement


New and Improved Comments

If you have trouble leaving a comment, review this help page. Still having problems? Let us know. If you find yourself moderated, take a moment to review our comment policy.

By denny rusell, January 25, 2010 at 9:39 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

I have no problems with shell or any other oil company drilling in the artic, as long as all oil goes to the u.s. It doesn"t make any sense to give these oil companys our oil then have them sell our oil back to us at open prices

Report this

By wildflower, January 25, 2010 at 1:43 am Link to this comment

“one of the world’s leading marine conservation scientists has resigned from the University of Alaska, claiming he lost state funding partly because of his criticism of Shell’s Alaskan activities. . .  Steiner alleges the university was told by a state environmental funding agency that his stance on oil exploration was “a problem”
which led to his grant being withdrawn.

Guess Shell Oil Corporation doesn’t believe in “freedom of speech.”

Report this
Newsletter

sign up to get updates


 
 
 
 
Join the Liberal Blog Advertising Network
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A Progressive Journal of News and Opinion. Editor, Robert Scheer. Publisher, Zuade Kaufman.
© 2013 Truthdig, LLC. All rights reserved.