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May, 2014:

In Taking Crimea, Putin Gains a Sea of Fuel Reserves

May 18th, 2014
by John Donovan.
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Screen Shot 2014-04-24 at 10.22.16

Screen Shot 2014-03-10 at 23.56.16Extracts from a New York Times article by William J. Broad published in print on 18 May 2014

When Russia seized Crimea in March, it acquired not just the Crimean landmass but also a maritime zone more than three times its size with the rights to underwater resources potentially worth trillions of dollars.

Russia portrayed the takeover as reclamation of its rightful territory, drawing no attention to the oil and gas rush that had recently been heating up in the Black Sea. But the move also extended Russia’s maritime boundaries, quietly giving Russia dominion over vast oil and gas reserves while dealing a crippling blow to Ukraine’s hopes for energy independence. 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.

Is Russia’s Hostility Exposing Royal Dutch Shell?

May 17th, 2014
by John Donovan.
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Screen Shot 2014-04-28 at 15.30.36Extracts from a Motley Fool article by Arjun Sreekumar published 17 May 2014

Shell clearly has significant exposure to Russia. The worst-case scenario for the company, as well as for BP and other companies operating in the nation, would be if the U.S. and European Union sanctioned Russia’s energy sector. Such economic penalties would make it problematic for Shell to maintain relations with Gazprom… As I understand it, such a sanction, if imposed, would not impact Shell’s existing projects. However, it would affect new projects and expansion plans, including perhaps the proposed expansion of Sakhalin-2. It could also hamper Shell’s 50/50 joint venture with Gazprom in western Siberia’s Salym fields…  I remain cautious about Shell’s exposure to Russia. 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.

Seething review of Mark Moody-Stuart book: Responsible Leadership

May 17th, 2014
by John Donovan.
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Screen Shot 2014-05-17 at 17.30.17Extracts from a review by Danny Chivers of the recently published book by retired Royal Dutch Shell Group Chairman Sir Mark Moody-Stuart: “RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP: Lessons from the Front Line of Sustainability and Ethics”

Article originally published under the headline:

“If this is responsible leadership, then I’m an Ogoni”

Reading this book was a strange experience. It was like stepping into a parallel Universe where extractive industries bring overwhelming benefits to communities around the world, with the only negative consequences being caused by corrupt local governments. Again and again throughout the book, Moody-Stuart seems to wilfully ignore the unequal power relations between multinational corporations and the people in whose lands they operate. Perhaps the element of the book that made me angriest was Moody-Stuart’s insistence, in relation to Nigeria and elsewhere, that Shell “did not get involved in local politics”. This ignores the wealth of evidence showing collusion between the company and Nigeria’s military regime that led to a landmark payout of $15.5 million by Shell to the families of nine executed Nigerian activists. 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.

Energy sanctions aim to hurt Russia more than the west

May 16th, 2014
by John Donovan.
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Screen Shot 2014-03-10 at 23.56.16Extract from an FT article by Ed Crooks published 14 May 2014

ExxonMobil of the US in 2011 signed a wide-ranging strategic co-operation agreement with Rosneft… Royal Dutch Shell has a similar arrangement with Gazprom, also expanded last year to include exploration in the Arctic and shale development in western Siberia.

FULL FT ARTICLE

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 Credits IT With Early Deployment of Deepwater Platform in Gulf of Mexico

May 16th, 2014
by John Donovan.
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Screen Shot 2014-02-10 at 16.29.29Extract from a Wall Street Journal article by Steve Rosenbush published 16 May 2014

Royal Dutch Shell says it began production at its Olympus deepwater drilling platform in the Gulf of Mexico in February, six months ahead of schedule. Arjen Dorland, the executive vice president who runs the company’s Technical and Competitive IT unit, says Shell’s multidisciplinary approach to technology helped move the project along.

ACCESS TO FULL ARTICLE SUBJECT TO SUBSCRIPTION

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.

Garda concerns at whistleblower plan

May 16th, 2014
by John Donovan.
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Screen Shot 2014-05-16 at 10.20.14

Some allegations against the Garda, including from whistlerblower company OSSL, have arisen from the Shell led Corrib Gas Project

Extracts from an RTE News article published Friday 16 May 2014 under the headline: “AGSI admits concerns at whistleblower plan“

The President of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors has said it is concerned by the decision to assign the role of receiving confidential information from garda whistleblowers to the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. The decision was made by Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald yesterday.

Tim Galvin said people would be very nervous about going to GSOC and then whatever issues they might have would not come out into the open. Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Galvin also said he believed more garda whistleblowers would come forward. He said: “If we have skeletons in the cupboard, let’s bring them out. Get them out into the open. 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.

US protection for whistleblowers fearing retaliation from employer

May 16th, 2014
by John Donovan.
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Screen Shot 2014-02-10 at 16.29.29RECEIVED FROM A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR

As a service to any Shell US whistleblowers fearing some sort of retaliation from Shell you might want to post this information about employee legal protections against employer retaliation.

The following two articles may help:

Employee Retaliation Claims Play Big Before the High Court: www.abajournal.com  Magazine June 2011 Issue

Extract

• Robinson v. Shell Oil Co. (1997). Title VII’s retaliation clause protects former employees as well as current employees from unlawful retaliation.

RELATED INFORMATION FROM SCHOLARLY COMMONS 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.

Kazakh Minister: All Kashagan Pipelines To Be Replaced

May 16th, 2014
by John Donovan.
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Screen Shot 2013-07-15 at 07.03.50Extracts from a Reuters article by Olesya Astakhova published 15 May 2014

MOSCOW, May 15 (Reuters) – The consortium developing the giant Kashagan oilfield will have to replace the entire pipeline system at the deposit, Kazakhstan’s oil minister said on Thursday, confirming that output there would not resume this year. The North Caspian Operating Company (NCOC) developing Kashagan said last month that it did not expect to produce oil this year due to the leaks. NCOC includes Eni, Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Total, China’s CNPC, Japan’s Inpex and Kazakh state-run company KazMunaiGas.  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.

Centrica JV Buys Canadian Assets From Shell for C$50M

May 15th, 2014
by John Donovan.
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Screen Shot 2013-12-22 at 19.09.52Extract from a Wall Street Journal article by Ian Walker published 15 May 2014

LONDON–Natural gas firm Centrica PLC (CNA.LN) said Thursday that its joint venture with Qatar Petroleum International is buying a package of natural gas assets in the Foothills region of Alberta from Shell Canada Energy for 50 million Canadian Dollars ($45.85 million).

FULL ARTICLE

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 to Sea calls for whistleblowers to ‘expose malpractice and corruption’ at gas project

May 15th, 2014
by John Donovan.
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Screen Shot 2013-09-13 at 08.47.30

Screen Shot 2013-09-12 at 13.51.56Extracts from an article published 15 May 2014 by the journal.ie

THE SHELL TO Sea campaign has made fresh calls this morning for whistleblowers in to come forward to “expose malpractice and corruption” in the Shell gas project in Corrib, Co Mayo.

Shell to Sea’s Terence Conway said the group is asking whistleblowers from within the ranks of An Garda Síochána, Shell, Shell contractors and any State agency involved in facilitation the project to come forward.

One former Shell subcontractor alleged last year that it was tasked with providing local residents with items like tennis courts and television sets on behalf of Shell to keep them on side. The company also claimed it had delivered €35,000 worth of alcohol to Belmullet Garda Station in December 2007. The Garda Ombudsman is now investigating these allegations. 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 And Gas Giants Continue To Shrink In 2014

May 15th, 2014
by John Donovan.
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Screen Shot 2014-04-04 at 09.49.25Extract from an article by Zoltan Ban published 14 May 2014 by Seeking Alpha

Last year was not a good one for global oil and gas giants. Royal Dutch Shell reported a year-on-year decline of 10% in liquids production and an 8% decline in gas production (link). There are many reasons why these oil and gas giants are now shrinking. One of the main reasons being that they have many old depleted and declining fields in their portfolio, while there are also fewer and fewer opportunities to tap new fields. Shell abandoned its attempts to produce oil out of kerogen in the Powder River Basin. It also abandoned Arctic exploration in Alaska. It announced a massive $2 billion loss on its Eagle Ford operations as part of its recent divestment program. 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.

Convulsions in Irish Justice Dept and Policing

May 13th, 2014
by John Donovan.
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RESIGNED: Justice Minister Alan Shatter and Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan.

RESIGNED: Justice Minister Alan Shatter and Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan.

The creators of the mould-breaking TV comedy Seinfeld adopted two rules: no hugging, no learning. We need to apply those rules to our current episode of the dark farce of Irish “reform”. Of course, the details should be properly investigated but on the larger scale, there is nothing new to be learned here. The new inquiries will find what the old ones found: a culture in the Garda, Department of Justice and in the State as a whole of burying unwanted truths. 

By John Donovan

The convulsions in Ireland arising from the resignations of the Police Commissioner and the Justice Minister continue, with the Irish Cabinet discussing terms of reference for an inquiry into Garda cases.

Extracts

The Minister said the external review of the Department will be completed before the Dáil and Seanad rise for the summer recess. “I have committed to root and branch reform of the administration of justice in this country and this includes the Government Department responsible for this area.” In addition, the Cabinet resolved to urgently bring forward new legislation to strengthen the operation of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. Ms Fitzgerald further said that the new Independent Garda Authority will be up and running by the end of the year. 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.

Big oil firms pay big bucks to settle US charges of royalty fraud

May 13th, 2014
by John Donovan.
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Screen Shot 2014-03-10 at 23.56.16Extracts from a Reuters article by Alia Dharssi and Ashley Renders published Tuesday 13 May 2014 under the headline: Big oil firms accused of cheating on royalties lead fight to limit US disclosure rules

NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – Oil companies have paid $3 billion over the past 15 years to resolve a range of charges including that they regularly cheated the U.S. government and Native American communities out of royalties on oil and gas leases, raising concerns they use similar techniques to rob citizens in poor countries of resource wealth.

Royal Dutch Shell plc and Exxon Mobil Corp. are among the energy companies that have paid penalties and back payments on their U.S. energy leases and settled lawsuits accusing them of fraudulently underestimating the value of oil and gas to lower their royalty payments, research by Thomson Reuters Foundation shows. 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.

Shell Oil sues developer of Carousel tract in Carson for contamination cleanup

May 13th, 2014
by John Donovan.
1 comment

Screen Shot 2013-10-15 at 02.10.35Extracts from an article by Sandy Mazza, published by the Daily Breeze on 12 May 2014

Everyone agrees that Shell Oil Co. left masses of waste petroleum just beneath the surface of a residential Carson neighborhood for decades, but the company now says it shouldn’t be held responsible for cleaning the mess. In a lawsuit filed last week in Los Angeles Superior Court, Shell points the finger of blame at the developers of the 50-acre tract of single-family houses that was built in the mid-1960s.  Shell officials believe the developers assumed responsibility for the property’s waste oil and tank debris when they bought the land. The developers have argued they never touched the tarnished soil and have nothing to do with it. …residents are seeking payment for decades of poor health and declining home values due to the contamination. They claim they and their pets have been made sick with ailments such as headaches, cancer, blood disorders and many other conditions. 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 prices poised to tumble

May 12th, 2014
by John Donovan.
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Screen Shot 2014-05-12 at 19.46.28Extracts from an article by By , Business News Editor of The Telegraph, published 12 May 2014 under the newspaper headline: “Oil prices poised to tumble as US toys with opening reserve stocks”

Oil prices are on the brink of possibly their biggest correction since the global financial crisis after Vladimir Putin’s gamble to use Russia’s crude as a political weapon backfired spectacularly on the Kremlin. A potent energy superpower, Russia had thought that it could use its status as the world’s largest oil producer and biggest exporter of natural gas through cross-border pipelines to intimidate and quite literally bully Western powers into submission over Ukraine. Regardless of the fracking revolution in the US, the world appears to be flooded with crude. Putin appears to have forgotten the lesson of his fallen Soviet comrades of the old communist order, and in meddling with world oil markets, he may have laid the foundations for his own economic demise. 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.

Investigators seek breakthrough a year after EU raided Big Oil

May 12th, 2014
by John Donovan.
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Screen Shot 2013-05-17 at 01.06.41By Gaspard Sebag, Lananh Nguyen and Andy Hoffman: Bloomberg News 12 May 2014

Twelve months after raiding oil companies and Platts in a hunt for evidence of possible manipulation of price benchmarks, European Union officials are looking for a breakthrough. On May 14 last year, EU investigators had to leap into a taxi cab to Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA)’s trading floor on the Strand in central London after arriving at the wrong destination — the company’s London head office on the opposite side of the River Thames – according to one person familiar with the antitrust raids on that day. Lawyers say such mishaps are common during so-called surprise inspections — especially where officials lack the guiding hand of an immunity applicant. “All Shell companies fully cooperated with the EU commission during the inspection at our offices and will continue to do so as the commission’s investigation proceeds,” Ross Whittam, a company spokesman said. 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.
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