NEW ORLEANS — Bidders largely ignored court challenges to additional petroleum drilling off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana and made $340.9 million in high bids for 381 offshore tracts.
The bid total was the highest in eight years for the federal government’s annual sale of exploration leases in the western Gulf of Mexico. In last year’s sale, the Minerals Management Service accepted $283.4 million on 342 tracts.
Foreign-owned companies were among the top bidders.
Petrobras America Inc., a subsidiary of the Brazilian national oil company Petrobas and a major player in Gulf lease sales since 2004, was the highest total buyer, putting in 34 winning bids valued at $45.5 million.
BP Exploration & Production Inc., a subsidiary of BP PLC, followed with 31 winning bids totaling $37.5 million, while Shell Offshore Inc., a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell PLC, put up 28 winning bids worth $35.4 million.
Despite a lawsuit filed by Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco to halt the sale, no bids were withdrawn ahead of Wednesday’s auction, said Chris Oynes, MMS regional director for Gulf operations.
Blanco, as part of a campaign to get a bigger share of federal offshore royalties for Louisiana, filed a lawsuit claiming MMS has not done enough to protect Louisiana wetlands from damage due to drilling. She sought an order blocking Wednesday’s sale.
U.S. District Judge Kurt Engelhardt on Monday refused to block the sale, but said the state would have a strong case when the dispute goes to trial in November.
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.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
