By Katarzyna Klimasinska – Jul 28, 2011 5:00 PM GMT+0100
A lawsuit by environmental groups over Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA)s oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico may become a backdoor moratorium that curtails U.S. development, said Marvin Odum, the companys U.S. president.
The Natural Resources Defense Council of New York and Oakland, California-based Earthjustice said Obama administration approval of a Shell exploration plan for the Gulfs deep waters violates environmental laws and should be withdrawn, according to June 9 petitions.
This suit has the potential to virtually halt exploration in the Gulf, serving as a backdoor moratorium, Odum said in remarks prepared today for a speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington. Many of us here today may have different opinions on the drilling moratorium in the Gulf after last years spill. But it was long and painful both in terms of jobs and economic losses.
Shell, Europes largest oil company, was first to win approval for its deep-water drilling plans after the BP Plc oil spill led the U.S. to toughen the environmental reviews. The April 20, 2010, explosion of a drilling rig led President Barack Obama to ban deep-water exploration until mid-October.
Odum said the U.S. regulatory system is reactionary and overburdened. He cited Alaska, where The Hague-based company hasnt been allowed to drill after spending more than $2 billion to acquire offshore leases.
There are some encouraging signs, he said. The president created a cabinet-level interagency working group on energy development and permitting in Alaska. This is an important step and recognition that the current regulatory apparatus was not up to the challenge of efficiency permitting a project such as this.
Shell needs about 35 permits to drill as many as two wells a year in the Beaufort Sea and as many as three a year in the Chukchi Sea from 2012 through 2013. These waters may produce 700,000 barrels of oil per day for 40 years, Peter Slaiby, Shell Alaskas vice president, said yesterday.
To contact the reporter on this story: Katarzyna Klimasinska in Washington at [email protected]
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Larry Liebert at [email protected]
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.
