December 11, 2009 at 3:58 PM
Shell Oil about to begin drilling in Alaska
But what about the polar bears?
I was saddened to read that the Interior Department has approved Shell Oils plans to drill exploratory oil wells in the Chukchi Sea off Alaskas northwest coast [Oil drilling in Alaska OKd, News, Dec. 8].
This drilling will take place in a sensitive ecosystem, home to one-tenth of the worlds polar bears, who are already suffering and dying as a result of climate change. What will happen to them if theres an oil spill?
Shell cant prove that it can clean up a spill in the extreme weather conditions of the Arctic Ocean.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar tried to justify his decision by saying that Chukchi Sea oil exploration would help reduce Americas dependence on foreign oil. This is an admirable goal, but drilling for oil in sensitive ecosystems is not the way to achieve it.
Instead, we should move away from fossil fuels entirely. We can completely wean ourselves off fossil fuels in the next 20 years by switching to wind, solar, geothermal, tidal and hydroelectric power.
Isnt this preferable to further endangering our friends the polar bears not to mention ourselves?
Maggie Willson, Seattle
You might be interested in:
- Shell denies asking for delay in drilling plan From Seattle Times Business & Technology
- Shell gets conditional OK for Beaufort drilling From Seattle Times Business & Technology
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.
