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February 19th, 2016:

Fitch downgrades Shell on BG takeover

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by Veselin ValchevFriday, 19 Feb 2016

Credit ratings agency Fitch downgraded Royal Dutch Shell Plc (LON:RDSA) by one notch to “AA-“, with a negative outlook, in response to the successful completion of the costly BG Group merger. The agency considers that adding BG’s business to the group has “deteriorated” Shell’s financial profile.

The £36bn takeover included a £13bn cash component, which Shell covered with resources at hand. The Anglo-Dutch oil major said in its Q4 results earlier this month that it had $31.75bn in cash or cash equivalents in reserve at the end of 2015.

Shell plans to restore its balance sheet strength with an ambitious $30bn disposals programme, in addition to cutting billions in capex and opex from the combined group’s spending, while further synergies from the merger are projected to save up to $3bn per year. read more

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

Russia Saudi pact

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By Ed Crooks: February 19, 2016

This week the story of the oil price crash took a genuinely unexpected turn with the conditional agreement from Saudi Arabia and Russia that they would not increase their production, provided other countries made the same commitment. It was the first real co-operation between Opec and non-Opec countries for 15 years, and although its true significance is probably rather less than that makes it sound, the pact nevertheless provided grist for extensive interpretation. read more

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

Members of Congress call for investigation of Shell over climate change

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Ivan Penn: 18 FEB 2016

A Southern California congressman and two other representatives are calling for an investigation of Shell Oil over whether it deceived the public on climate change at the same time it was preparing its business operations for rising sea levels. 

In a Feb. 17 letter to U.S. Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch, the three members of Congress said growing evidence suggests there may have been “a conspiracy between Shell, Exxon Mobil and potentially other companies in the fossil fuel industry.”

U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) sent the letter along with Rep. Peter Welch of Vermont and Rep. Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania, both Democrats.

Their letter cites an investigation published by the Los Angeles Times that reported that in 1989 Shell Oil announced it was redesigning a long-term, $3-billion natural gas platform in the North Sea to deal with rising sea levels from global warming. Despite this and other incidents, the congressmen noted, “Shell apparently decided to fund climate deniers.” read more

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

Prisoners draw corporate evil-doers who should be in jail but aren’t

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By Katie Herzog on 18 Feb 2016

Jeff Greenspan and Andrew Tider created Captured, a project that commissions illustrated portraits of CEOs who aren’t in prison but should be — drawn by actual prisoners.

“Corporations frequently commit crimes any average person would be imprisoned for,” write Greenspan and Tider. “These corporate crimes devastate our environment, economy, and society, yet the companies committing them often get away with only paying a settlement. These payouts do little damage to a corporation’s bottom line and are practically baked into their budgets.” read more

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

Corrib Gas: local residents query intense flaring at Ballinaboy

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Lorna Siggins: 18 FEB 2016

The Government is seeking tenders to monitor the Corrib gas pipeline on behalf of the Department of Energy.

The monitoring will require spot checks of the high pressure pipeline carrying gas from the Corrib field to an inland refinery and its shore valve, according to details published this week on the eTenders website.

The contract is initially for two years only, and will involve weekly reports to the department and answering any queries that the public may have about the project. read more

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