If the court rules in Shell’s favor, it would have a profound chilling effect on First Amendment rights across the country. Nothing would stop other corporations from taking similar preemptive legal action against anyone they deem to be likely protesters. This case isn’t just about the fate of the Arctic. It is about the state [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Beaufort Sea’
Companies await OK for seismic exploration permits
June 14th 6:15 pm: Hannah Heimbuch As Arctic ice quickly succumbs to summer sun, several major energy companies are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to make good use of open ocean for exploration. Shell Oil, Norwegian geoscience company TGS, and SAExploration have all submitted requests to the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management to conduct seismic [...]
Kulluk report due in July as hearings end
By Tim Bradner, Alaska Journal of Commerce: June-Issue-2 2013 Two weeks of U.S. Coast Guard hearings on the grounding of Shell’s drill rig Kulluk concluded May 30. A report on conclusions of the inquiry is due in early July, but that deadline may be extended, Coast Guard Lt. Commander Brian McNamara said. Coast Guard officials [...]
Listening sessions start process for Alaska-focused Arctic drilling rules
Looking for lessons in Shell’s disastrous campaign to drill offshore in the Arctic, the Interior Department on Thursday launched an effort to create special rules for oil and gas activity in federal waters off Alaska’s coasts. Alex DeMarban: June 6, 2013 Looking for lessons in Shell’s disastrous campaign to drill offshore in the Arctic, the [...]
Interior official hears wide range of views on oil drilling in Arctic
By LISA DEMER — ldemer@adn.com: Published: June 6, 2013 Anchorage — Against the backdrop of Royal Dutch Shell’s troubled 2012 attempt to drill in the Arctic Ocean, a top Interior official — and former Alaskan — heard the gamut of views Thursday about whether and how oil companies can safely drill offshore in the Alaska [...]
Shell’s claimed high level of drilling expertise – absolute phooey?
It amuses me to read articles in the press about Shell’s high level of drilling expertise – typical comments regarding Alaska are along the lines of “if Shell cannot do it then nobody can…” I’m sorry, but this is a very long way off the mark. EXPERT COMMENT RECEIVED FROM A SHELL RELATED SOURCE John It [...]
The Argument Against Oil Drilling in Arctic Seas
The panel heard about busted shackles lost at sea. Snapped towlines. Fuel injectors clogged with slime. Forty-foot seas. And harrowing rescue attempts by Coast Guard helicopters to pluck Kulluk crewmembers from a deck that pitched and rolled with each wave. Shell’s Alaska operations manager even admitted the Kulluk left port in Dutch Harbor during the [...]
Frantic but failed effort left Kulluk on the rocks
Around Dec. 7, Shell made the decision to leave that month, weather permitting, Churchfield said. The timing stemmed from concerns Shell had about the prospect of millions in state property taxes that could be assessed if the Kulluk were in Alaska at the first of the year, Churchfield told the panel. But the decision to [...]
OPINION: We told you so
Anyone who has followed development like this for any length of time will not be shocked that Shell officials lied to cover their interests following the grounding of the Kulluk. But this blatantly obvious situation should motivate elected officials and the Coast Guard to require more oversight. We’ve been handed a gift with the Kulluk [...]
Shell Covered Up The Fact That They Moved Kulluk For Taxes
…the two Arctic drilling barges deployed by Shell were plagued with issues. The first was under criminal investigation for failing safety requirements, while the second was the Kulluk Rachel Maddow: Shell Covered Up The Fact That They Moved Kulluk For Taxes Posted: 05/31/2013 11:43 am EDT | Updated: 05/31/2013 12:45 pm EDT Rachel Maddow concluded earlier this [...]
Shell’s Misadventures in Alaska
Though Royal Dutch Shell has made major strides over the past decade in overcoming the negativity surrounding the 2004 reserve overstatement scandal, which led to the ouster of its CEO and other top executives, the company continues to be plagued by operational blunders that are straining its relationships with shareholders. At the company’s annual meeting last [...]
Oil executives tune out the call of the wild Arctic
The Arctic may hold 13 percent of the world’s undiscovered oil and 30 percent of its gas, but a series of blunders and failures there are making executives fight shy of such a sensitive area and turn their attention back to more conventional resources and the shale revolution. The turning point likely came on New [...]
A taxing time for Shell
By John Donovan After Shell’s Arctic ambitions hit the rocks at the end of December 2012, Shell initially conceded that the ill-fated Kulluk drilling rig had left port under tow to avoid taxes. Shell then backtracked. Shell chief executive Peter Voser rejected accusations that tax issues were a factor in the move. Now we have [...]
Shell Admits Kulluk Rig was Moved to Avoid Taxes
By Charles Kennedy | Mon, 27 May 2013 21:47 On 7th December 2012 Shell decided to move the Kulluk floating drill platform from its berth in Dutch Harbour, south to a Seattle shipyard where it would receive major repairs and general maintenance during the off-season. Shell claimed that they had assessed the possibility of making [...]
Shell Admits Real Reason Coast Guard Had To Rescue Its Arctic Drilling Rig: Failed Tax Avoidance Scheme
By Ryan Koronowski on May 28, 2013 at 6:17 pm The main reason an offshore oil rig ran aground off the coast of Alaska late last year was because oil company Royal Dutch Shell was trying to depart state waters to avoid paying millions in taxes. Sean Churchfield, operations manager for Royal Dutch Shell in [...]
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