UPDATE 6-Shell may have moved rig to avoid taxes – U.S. lawmaker
Fri Jan 11, 2013 12:27am EST
* Markey questions rig’s move in “near hurricane” conditions
* Shell quoted by newspaper saying taxes “influenced” timing
* Oil giant later says relocation guided by safety, not taxes
By Yereth Rosen and Timothy Gardner
ANCHORAGE, Alaska/WASHINGTON, Jan 10 (Reuters) – Shell may have moved an oil rig that ran aground off Alaska last week partly to avoid millions of dollars in taxes, U.S. Rep. Ed Markey said, raising even more questions about the oil company’s decision on the timing of the move.
The letter from the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee adds to the already-intense political scrutiny of Royal Dutch Shell’s ambitious and troubled Arctic drilling foray last year.