ExxonMobil

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After years of strategic pivots, greenwashing controversies, corporate name changes and arguments over what Shell actually wants to be, American motorists have delivered a remarkably simple verdict: when it comes to filling the tank, Shell remains the brand they are most likely to consider — and the one they associate most strongly with quality.

Every now and then Shell plc receives some genuinely good news that does not require a 50-page sustainability report to explain it.

This appears to be one of those occasions. read more

^*This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, shellnews.net, and shellwikipedia.com, are owned by John Donovan - more information here. There is also a Wikipedia segment, the Shell DPA Files, "Shell and the Spies", the Shell Leaks files, as well as books written and published by John Donovan - Kindle eBooks. Timeline of the Donovan Shell Feud. Toxic History of Royal Dutch Shell Group. Shell and the Donovans: The Full Media Record — 550+ Articles, 110 Books, 40 Years. ^*All created and supported by internet wizz, Nick Gill.

Groningen Shakes Again: The Gas Is Gone, But Shell and Exxon’s Earthquake Legacy Is Not

Aug 24th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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A magnitude 2.8 gas-extraction earthquake near Zandeweer is another reminder that closing the Groningen field did not close the consequences

At 5.50 on the morning of 21 August 2026, people in northern Groningen were shaken awake again.

The earthquake measured 2.8 and had its epicentre near Zandeweer, in the municipality of Het Hogeland, at a depth of approximately three kilometres.

The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, KNMI, classified it unequivocally as an induced earthquake — in other words, an earthquake caused by human activity associated with gas extraction. (knmi.nl)

Residents in Zandeweer, Rottum, Uithuizen, Kantens, Middelstum and surrounding communities reported shaking, creaking houses, bangs and thuds. read more

The I.G. Farben Connection: How Standard Oil and Shell Fueled the Nazi War Machine

Jul 27th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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John Donovan prompt: Which of the renowned seven sisters oil giants are still active, who are they? Please rank them in terms of most toxic history and current reputation?

Google AI Mode reply:

All of the original “Seven Sisters” oil giants survive today, consolidated through mergers into four active multinational supermajors: ExxonMobil, Chevron, BP, and Shell. Ranked from most severe historic/current environmental and reputational damage to least among this group: ExxonMobil, BP, Chevron, and Shell. [1] Active Surviving Companies

ExxonMobil: Formed via mergers of Standard Oil of New Jersey (Exxon) and Standard Oil of New York (Mobil), plus absorption of others.

Chevron: Absorbed Texaco and Gulf Oil, tracing back to Standard Oil of California.

BP: Formerly the Anglo-Persian Oil Company.

Shell: Formerly Royal Dutch Shell. [1, 2]

THE DAILY SLURRY — FRONT PAGE SPLASH

Jul 20th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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SHELL & EXXON: ‘WE ARE NOT PANICKING’ — PANIC ENSUES: SATIRICAL BUT SERIOUS ARTICLE

Big Oil Issues Joint Statement While Hyperventilating Into Paper Bags

🛢️ TRILLION‑EURO TREMORS SHAKE THE CORPORATE TOWERS

The Groningen revenue bombshell detonated again today as Shell and ExxonMobil released a joint statement insisting they are “not panicking” about allegations that historical gas revenues may have been distributed very differently than the official story suggests.

Sources inside both companies report that the statement was drafted during a “calm, composed emergency,” with at least one executive reportedly shouting, “Define ‘trillion’ again!” while clutching a spreadsheet.

Groningen gas field read more

THE GRONINGEN BETRAYAL LIST”: Top 10 Broken Promises That Still Haunt Shell’s Gas Kingdom

Apr 17th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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They promised safety. They promised honesty. They promised it would stop. Instead, Groningen got earthquakes, court battles—and now, apparently, a sequel.

🧨 INTRO: A MASTERCLASS IN SAYING ONE THING… AND DOING ANOTHER

For decades, Groningen wasn’t just a gas field—it was a promise factory.

Politicians, Shell, ExxonMobil, and their joint venture NAM made assurances so confidently you’d think they were engraved in stone.

Unfortunately, it’s the houses that cracked—not the promises.

Now, as drilling quietly creeps back onto the agenda in 2026, it’s time to revisit the greatest hits.

Because if history tells us anything, it’s this:

In Groningen, promises age about as well as a fault line under pressure.

🔟

“THE EARTHQUAKES ARE MINOR”

The promise: Early tremors were downplayed as negligible.
The reality: Thousands of quakes later, homes were damaged, communities destabilised, and the region became a case study in induced seismicity. read more

SHELLGATE? Over €1 Trillion in Groningen Gas Revenue May Have Gone to Shell and Exxon — Not the Dutch State

Apr 14th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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This article contains unverified claims that diverge significantly from established historical and financial accounts of the Groningen gas field. Readers are strongly advised to review the full Editor’s Note and disclaimer at the end of this article before drawing conclusions. This article presents a contested financial reconstruction that has not been independently verified

By the Ministry for Historical Reprint (Ministerie voor Historische Herdruk), Netherlands Published with permission on RoyalDutchShellPlc.com read more

Shell’s Groningen Hangover: Dutch State and NAM Clash Over a €789 Million Earthquake Bill

Mar 17th, 2026

by admin.

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If you ever needed a case study in how fossil fuel profits can turn into long-term liabilities, look no further than Groningen — where the bill for decades of gas extraction has finally landed… and nobody wants to pay it.

This week, the Dutch state and Nederlandse Aardolie Maatschappij (NAM) — the Shell-Exxon joint venture that once turned Groningen into Europe’s gas powerhouse — faced off in court over who should cover hundreds of millions of euros in earthquake damage compensation.

The sum in dispute? A modest €789 million. Pocket change for an oil major — until it isn’t. read more

Perplexity: 20 Global Companies with the Most Controversial Histories (Shell is number 3)

Mar 13th, 2026

by admin.

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Created by Perplexity: Here is a 20‑company ranking, extending the logic and criteria of the original article (severity, scale, duration, and notoriety of controversies).

Top 20 companies with highly controversial histories

Bayer (Germany) – IG Farben participation, forced labour at Auschwitz-Monowitz, and role in supplying components for Zyklon B during the Nazi era, followed by later pharmaceutical and agrochemical controversies.watchmojo+1

Volkswagen (Germany) – Founded under the Nazi regime, heavy use of forced labour during WWII, and the modern diesel emissions‑cheating scandal affecting millions of vehicles globally.ig+1

Royal Dutch Shell / Shell plc (UK / Netherlands) – Long-running allegations over pollution and human‑rights issues in the Niger Delta, major 2004 reserves overstatement scandal, and historical controversy around Sir Henri Deterding’s interactions with Nazi Germany.royaldutchshellplc+1 read more

COPILOT: 20 Global Companies with the Most Controversial Histories (Shell is number 2)

Mar 13th, 2026

by admin.

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CREATED BY COPILOT: Here’s a ranked, interpretive “top 20” list of global companies with especially long and controversial histories—environmental damage, human rights, corruption, product harms, and governance scandals. The order is judgment-based, not a formal metric.

Rank	Company (current or successor)	Main areas of controversy
1	ExxonMobil	Climate denial, environmental disasters, lobbying against climate policy
2	Royal Dutch Shell	Oil spills, Niger Delta conflict, climate litigation, alleged human rights complicity
3	Deepwater Horizon spill, safety record, environmental damage
4	Union Carbide / Dow	Bhopal disaster, toxic chemicals, long‑tail liability disputes
5	Monsanto (now part of Bayer)	Glyphosate health claims, GM seeds, Agent Orange legacy, farmer lawsuits
6	Volkswagen Group	Diesel emissions cheating, regulatory deception, environmental impact
7	Meta Platforms (Facebook)	Data privacy, misinformation, mental‑health concerns, content moderation failures
8	Amazon	Labour conditions, union busting, surveillance, antitrust and tax practices
9	Nestlé	Infant formula marketing, water extraction, child labour in cocoa supply chains
10	Philip Morris International / Altria	Tobacco health harms, youth marketing, long history of denial and lobbying
11	Rio Tinto	Indigenous rights violations, mine disasters, environmental damage
12	Glencore	Corruption cases, resource extraction impacts, market manipulation allegations
13	Foxconn (Hon Hai)	Worker suicides, harsh factory conditions, excessive overtime
14	Boeing	737 MAX crashes, safety culture, regulatory capture concerns
15	HSBC	Money‑laundering cases, sanctions breaches, tax‑evasion facilitation
16	Goldman Sachs	Role in 2008 crisis, Abacus deal, 1MDB scandal, conflicts of interest
17	Uber Technologies	Aggressive “growth at all costs” tactics, labour classification, data misuse, “Greyball”
18	Wells Fargo	Fake accounts scandal, sales‑pressure culture, repeated consumer abuses
19	Chevron	Ecuador rainforest pollution case, other environmental and community disputes
20	Samsung Electronics (group context)	Chaebol governance issues, corruption cases, labour and safety controversies

Brief context by company

ExxonMobil: Long‑running accusations that it funded climate‑science denial while its own research showed fossil‑fuel risks; major spills and refinery pollution, plus intense lobbying against climate regulation.

Royal Dutch Shell: Oil spills (notably in the Niger Delta), allegations of complicity in human rights abuses in Nigeria, and prominent climate lawsuits over its emissions trajectory.

BP: The Deepwater Horizon disaster became one of history’s worst marine oil spills, highlighting safety and risk‑management failures; BP has also faced criticism over other spills and its broader environmental footprint.

Union Carbide / Dow: The 1984 Bhopal gas leak in India killed and injured thousands; disputes over compensation, remediation, and responsibility have persisted for decades, now tied to Dow as the corporate successor.

Monsanto (Bayer): Criticised for glyphosate (Roundup) cancer claims, aggressive enforcement of seed patents, GM crops, and the legacy of Agent Orange; it frequently appears on lists of “most infamous” corporations.

Volkswagen Group: “Dieselgate” revealed systematic cheating on emissions tests worldwide, leading to huge fines, recalls, and reputational damage, and it remains a flagship ESG‑controversy case.

Meta Platforms (Facebook): Cambridge Analytica, repeated data‑privacy failures, algorithmic amplification of misinformation and hate, and concerns about mental‑health impacts have made Meta a central ESG and tech‑ethics flashpoint.

Amazon: Criticised for warehouse working conditions, anti‑union tactics, intense productivity surveillance, tax strategies, and market dominance; it features heavily in ESG‑controversy datasets.

Nestlé: Long‑running infant‑formula marketing scandals, accusations of over‑extracting groundwater, and child labour in cocoa supply chains have given Nestlé one of the most persistent reputational shadows.

Philip Morris International / Altria: Tobacco’s health toll, historic denial of smoking risks, youth‑targeted marketing, and lobbying against regulation make these firms emblematic of product‑harm controversies.

Rio Tinto: Criticised for mine‑related environmental damage and for destroying the 46,000‑year‑old Juukan Gorge Aboriginal heritage site in Australia, sparking global outrage over Indigenous rights.

Glencore: Has faced multiple corruption and bribery investigations, sanctions‑related cases, and scrutiny over environmental and social impacts of its mining and trading operations.

Foxconn (Hon Hai): Known for harsh working conditions, excessive overtime, and a cluster of worker suicides at Chinese plants supplying major electronics brands.

Boeing: The 737 MAX crashes exposed serious issues in safety culture, engineering oversight, and regulatory relationships, leading to criminal settlements and ongoing scrutiny.

HSBC: Involved in major money‑laundering and sanctions‑breach cases, including handling funds for drug cartels, and has been repeatedly fined by regulators.

Goldman Sachs: Central to several high‑profile scandals, including its role in the 2008 financial crisis and the 1MDB corruption case, raising questions about conflicts of interest and governance.

Uber Technologies: Built a reputation for “move fast, break rules” tactics: regulatory evasion tools, toxic internal culture, sexual‑harassment scandals, and disputes over driver classification and rights.

Wells Fargo: Created millions of fake customer accounts under extreme sales pressure, then faced further issues around auto‑insurance, mortgages, and governance failures.

Chevron: Best known for the long‑running Ecuador rainforest pollution case and other environmental disputes, plus aggressive legal counter‑campaigns against critics and plaintiffs.

Samsung Electronics (wider Samsung group): Part of a chaebol system repeatedly linked to corruption and political scandals in South Korea, alongside labour and safety controversies in its electronics supply chain.

20 Global Companies with the Most Controversial Histories (Shell is number 11)

Mar 13th, 2026

by admin.

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Created by GROK: The Long Shadow of Industry: 20 Global Companies with the Most Controversial Histories (Independent Research-Based Ranking)

This expanded ranking follows the exact same criteria as my previous top-10 list (and the referenced article): documented human-rights abuses, environmental devastation, measurable scale of harm (deaths, long-term health impacts, displaced/affected populations, ecological/economic costs), and enduring legacy. It draws exclusively from cross-verified court records, official reports (Amnesty International, EPA, science panels), journalistic investigations, declassified documents, and historical scholarship. Where companies have issued apologies, paid reparations, funded memorials, or reformed practices, this is explicitly noted. Many legacies involve complex geopolitical contexts or government contracts, but the focus remains on corporate decisions and outcomes. read more

Failure Pays Well: Shell CEO Bags 60% Pay Rise as Profits Slide and the Planet Warms

Mar 12th, 2026

by admin.

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In the strange universe of global oil capitalism — where gravity appears to work in reverse — Shell’s chief executive has just demonstrated the timeless corporate principle that less profit can still mean more pay.

According to Shell’s newly released annual report, CEO Wael Sawan’s remuneration surged by more than 60% to £13.8 million in 2025, up from £8.6 million the previous year.

The catch?

Shell’s profits fell sharply at the same time.

The company reported adjusted earnings of $18.5 billion for the year — down from $23.7 billion previously, a drop of roughly 22%. read more

Profile of Shell’s nightmare, John Donovan, extracted from Amazon

Jan 26th, 2026

by John Donovan.

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Profile of John Donovan extracted from Amazon where his Shell focussed books have been sold for many years despite threats from Shell lawyers.

In 1979, John Donovan was the co-founder of a sales promotion company, Don Marketing, which created promotional games for blue chip clients such as BP. read more

BREAKING: Oil Companies, including Shell, Lobby White House on Venezuela — Because Why Not Take the Whole Planet?

Jan 21st, 2026

by John Donovan.

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In what can only be described as the most perfectly obvious development in the history of obvious developments, major U.S. oil interests have apparently decided that nothing says “tasteful business practice” like quietly leaning on the White House about Venezuela while the world watches.

Lobbying disclosures reveal that Chevron, Shell’s U.S. arm, PBF Energy, and Phillips 66 have all been energetically encouraging the U.S. government to reshape its Venezuela “strategy” — you know, amidst the recent regime change and mild international eyebrow-raising — specifically so they can cash in on that totally stable and functioning oil economy. read more

Shell and the Shaking Ground: How a Fossil Fuel Empire Helped Create Earthquakes, Trauma, and a Generation of Unsettled Lives

Nov 7th, 2025

by John Donovan.

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Once upon a time — and not very long ago — certain corporate and government voices insisted that earthquakes in places without natural fault lines simply couldn’t happen. The Netherlands was solid. Groningen was safe. The ground beneath families, schools, and lives was reliable. Except it turns out none of that was true — because some earthquakes can be manufactured, engineered, or to put it bluntly, provoked.

And the culprit was not tectonics.

It was extraction.

Extraction at scale.

Extraction for profit. read more

Shell’s London Escape Route: Is the Oil Giant Preparing to Jump to New York?

Oct 21st, 2025

by John Donovan.

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Here’s the latest on Shell plc’s plan to move its listing to New York — with an investigative, critical lens.

By John Donovan (with AI collaboration)

21 October 2025

When a corporate behemoth begins to flirt with another stock exchange, the romance is rarely innocent. Shell plc — once Royal Dutch Shell plc, before dropping the “Dutch” as neatly as a discarded partner — is now openly courting Wall Street.

The CEO, Wael Sawan, has been muttering about “value gaps” and “unlocking potential,” code for what London traders hear as: we’re tired of being undervalued in a city that drinks warm beer instead of crude profits. read more

Shell Dodges Justice—Again: Groningen Quakes Leave Cracks in Homes, Trust, and the Law

Oct 8th, 2025

by John Donovan.

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Another Earthquake, Another Escape Clause

In a move that shocked precisely no one familiar with the Dutch gas saga, the Dutch Public Prosecution Service (OM) announced that NAM — the joint venture between Shell and ExxonMobil — will not be prosecuted for creating “life-threatening danger” in the Groningen gas field, despite years of earthquakes, crumbling houses, and shattered nerves.

👉 Read the NL Times coverage

The OM admitted that NAM had “consciously accepted the risk” that drilling would cause earthquakes and endanger residents — but claimed that wasn’t enough to secure a criminal conviction. In plain English: Yes, they knew people could be hurt. No, that’s not a crime. Next question. read more

30 November 2023: Posted by John Donovan

The content below is sourced from current verifiable customer reviews of Shell Energy published on Trustpilot.
Extremely slow broadband for 10 months, not fixed. I have had slow broadband well below the guaranteed speed for 10 months and Shell Energy have not been able to fix it. They have tried sending about 4 or 5 engineers but have not fixed the problem. Gurps, who I have been dealing with most recently, has been friendly and polite, alth… Read more

Extremely Slow Shell Broadband

ExxonMobil

A magnitude 2.8 gas-extraction earthquake near Zandeweer is another reminder that closing the Groningen field did not close the consequences

John Donovan prompt: Which of the renowned seven sisters oil giants are still active, who are they? Please rank them in terms of most toxic history and current reputation?

Google AI Mode reply:

SHELL & EXXON: ‘WE ARE NOT PANICKING’ — PANIC ENSUES: SATIRICAL BUT SERIOUS ARTICLE

Big Oil Issues Joint Statement While Hyperventilating Into Paper Bags

🛢️ TRILLION‑EURO TREMORS SHAKE THE CORPORATE TOWERS

They promised safety. They promised honesty. They promised it would stop. Instead, Groningen got earthquakes, court battles—and now, apparently, a sequel.

🧨 INTRO: A MASTERCLASS IN SAYING ONE THING… AND DOING ANOTHER

🔟

“THE EARTHQUAKES ARE MINOR”

Created by Perplexity: Here is a 20‑company ranking, extending the logic and criteria of the original article (severity, scale, duration, and notoriety of controversies).

Top 20 companies with highly controversial histories

Brief context by company

Created by GROK: The Long Shadow of Industry: 20 Global Companies with the Most Controversial Histories (Independent Research-Based Ranking)

Here’s the latest on Shell plc’s plan to move its listing to New York — with an investigative, critical lens.

Another Earthquake, Another Escape Clause

Sir Henri Deterding, resurrected!

JOE LYCETT DISCUSSES SHELL WITH JOHN DONOVAN

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SHELL EXECUTIVES AT THE CENTER OF A SCHEME TO STEAL $1.3 BILLION FROM NIGERIA’S PEOPLE

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SHELL, ENI AND NIGERIAN OFFICIALS IN OPL 245 CORRUPTION SCANDAL

INVESTIGATION OF OPL 245 NIGERIAN OIL CORRUPTION SCANDAL

DUTCH EARTHQUAKES CAUSED BY SHELL/EXXON

SHELL KILLS FOR OIL IN NIGERIA

SHELL LIED ABOUT CLEANING UP OIL IN NIGER DELTA

SHELL SPIES INFILTRATED NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT

LEGO DROPS SHELL OVER GREENPEACE OIL SPILL VIDEO

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30 November 2023: Posted by John Donovan

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