A version of this article appeared in print on February 3, 2010, on page A26 of the New York edition.
In 1995, when oil prices were very low, Congress tried to encourage deep-water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico by giving oil companies relief from some of the royalties they incur for producing oil and gas on public land.
It has never been clear how much new exploration this provision inspired, since steadily rising prices provided plenty of incentive. What is clear is that it has been a good deal for the industry and a bad deal for taxpayers. According to the Government Accountability Office, the provision could allow industry to escape up to $54 billion in legitimate royalties, depending on the price of oil.
Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts hopes to put things right with a bill that would clarify the law and prevent companies from signing new leases in the gulf until they renegotiate the old ones and pay royalties that are due. A similar bill has been approved three times in the House but has gone nowhere in the Senate.
Mr. Markey is particularly incensed this year because the oil companies are still doing very well despite lower demand, while the number of households needing federal help with their heating bills may rise to 10 million a big increase. To help out, he has introduced a bill increasing the money to help needy people with their energy bills by one-third to $7.6 billion annually.
The royalty mess resulted from a familiar Washington story line: lazy bureaucrats and legislation riddled with ambiguities. But the reality is that many of these leases are now beginning to yield oil, which will remain free of royalties as long as Congress fails to provide the kind of remedy proposed by Mr. Markey.
Actually, Congress owes this not only to the taxpayers but to itself. Its original intention in 1995 was to provide incentives during periods of low prices not a corporate gravy train when prices are robust.
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.
