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Feds shake up offshore energy inspections

Feds shake up offshore energy inspections; will send teams of inspectors instead of single auditors

Ocean agency’s hiring enables it to alter offshore evaluation process

By JENNIFER A. DLOUHY
HOUSTON CHRONICLE

June 13, 2011, 10:37PM

WASHINGTON — Government inspections of thousands of offshore oil and gas facilities now will involve teams of federal workers rather than just a single auditor under a plan announced Monday.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement said the move was made possible by the agency’s recent hires of new inspectors and the promise of more to come.

“As more inspectors are hired, we will be deploying multidisciplinary inspection teams instead of individual inspectors,” bureau director Michael Bromwich said in a statement. He added that the team-based review would provide “broader oversight to ensure that offshore operators are complying with federal regulations and conducting their operations in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.” read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Oil companies are hitting the pause button

Royal Dutch Shell indefinitely postponed a decision on expanding its operations in Canada’s oil sands.

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Pay at top truly out of whack

We have an old saying in this business: When dog bites man, it’s not news. When man bites dog, it is. So the latest study finding that top executives for companies at the center of the financial crisis walked away with billions in compensation in the years leading up to the current calamity seems like just another dog nipping at the heels of the beleaguered American stockholder.

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Royal Dutch Shell can’t drill oil well off Alaska, court rules

Royal Dutch Shell, Europe's largest oil company, can't drill the deepest offshore Alaskan well after a federal appeals court said the government's approval of the plan violated environmental laws.

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Dwindling demand may put some projects on back burner

A recent pullback in plans to expand or upgrade U.S. oil refineries may herald a more cautious era for refining companies, now facing uncertainty on many fronts after enjoying high profits for several years.

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s technology chief has his eye on innovation

Jan van der Eijk, Royal Dutch Shell's chief technology officer, oversees the oil major's technology initiatives, such as use of seismic imaging to map out possible oil deposits beneath the sea floor, mining Canada's oil sands and squeezing more oil from existing wells.

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell quadruples renewable energy project spending

Shell has spent $1 billion in the past five years on carbon capture, biofuel and solar and wind energy projects to cut emissions of greenhouse gases led by carbon dioxide, Graeme Sweeney, executive vice president for future fuels & CO2, said in Singapore today.

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.
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