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July, 2011:

World oil demand to strain supply in 2012-IEA

Wed Jul 13, 2011 1:27pm GMT

* IEA sees continued gap between OPEC output and demand for OPEC oil

* Maintains that strategic petroleum reserves release is working

* No decision yet on further stocks releases

By Alex Lawler and Barbara Lewis

LONDON, July 13 (Reuters) – World oil demand growth will accelerate next year, adding to the pressure on available supplies, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday, contradicting a more conservative outlook from producer group OPEC.

In its first 2012 forecast in a monthly report, the IEA said oil use would grow by 1.47 million barrels per day (bpd) to 91 million bpd. The agency also trimmed its estimate of demand growth this year to 1.20 million bpd. 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.

Adolf Hitler thanks Sir Henri Deterding for donation of a million reichs-marks

Screen Shot 2015-06-12 at 18.57.14By John Donovan

On 28 April 1945, Lieutenant-Colonel Werner Baumbach (right), “General of the Bombers” – the top post in German bomber command, arrived at a country house located at Krakow, near Güstrow in Mecklenburg, for a meeting with Heinrich Himmler, Reichsführer of the SS.

As overseer of the concentration camps and extermination camps, Himmler coordinated the murder of around 10 million people. (See Wikipedia).

It soon became apparent to Baumbach, after two portraits in silver frames were drawn to his attention, that the country house in which the SS was located, was formally the home of the oil baron, Sir Henri Deterding, the world renowned director of Royal Dutch Shell. Sir Henri, the man most responsible for the growth of Shell into a global oil giant, was an ardent Nazi and friend and financial supporter of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. 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.

Whales ‘at risk’ from oil surveys

Restrictions put on development are not enough, delegates urged

12 July 2011

Oil and gas exploration in the Russian Far East continues to threaten whales, delegates at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) meeting have warned.

The critically endangered western population of gray whales spends its summer feeding around Sakhalin island.

Companies using seismic guns to find oil and gas in the area do take steps to reduce the impact; but scientists with the IWC say they need to do more.

Surprising new evidence has also emerged on the whales’ migration. 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.

Iraq initials $12-bln Shell gas deal-sources

* Talks had been stalled since 2008 over legal issues

* Gas needed to help with Iraq’s chronic power shortage

By Rania El Gamal

BAGHDAD, July 12 (Reuters) – Iraq initialled a final contract on Tuesday with Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L) and Mitsubishi for a $12 billion deal to capture flared gas at southern oilfields, two sources close to the deal said.

The long-awaited deal still needs the approval of Iraq’s cabinet.

The signing took place in a closed meeting without media despite last-minute confusion over whether it was going to happen. Two sources told Reuters on Sunday the oil ministry had scheduled the signing for Tuesday, but then on Monday the ministry announced it would be delayed without giving a reason. 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.

Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum

Will SCOTUS review Alien Tort Statute after D.C. Circuit ruling?

7/11/2011

Friday’s 151-page ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, reviving an Alien Tort Statute case accusing Exxon of abetting murder and torture in Indonesia, stands in direct contrast to a ruling last September by the Second Circuit, which determined that corporations cannot be held liable under the Alien Tort law. The issue of corporate liability under the ATS is now squarely before the U.S. Supreme Court, since the Nigerian plaintiffs in the Second Circuit case, Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum, filed a June 13 certiorari petition asking for review of the appellate court’s holding. So with a clear split in the circuit courts, it’s a sure bet that the Supreme Court will take the case when the justices return from their summer break, right? read more

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Shell CEO warns of global energy supply shortage this decade

By MYRNA M. VELASCO July 11, 2011, 1:54am
PETALING JAYA, Malaysia – This decade would be another defining moment for the global energy sector as warning of probable supply shortage had been raised – a scenario which may drive prices to extreme volatilities for the next round.

In a roundtable briefing with selected Asian journalists here, Royal Dutch Shell plc Chief Executive Peter Voser indicated high likelihood of shortages in energy supply in the next 5 to 7 years saying, “demand will outpace available supply in the years to come.”

If consumers are already distressed with the extreme swings in pump prices, which very often are on upward trends, market analysts could only guess how prices would exhibit even more explosive spikes if the anticipated demand climb would outstrip available energy supply. 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.

Shell’s drilling off Australia could ‘devastate’ endangered marine life

guardian.co.uk home

WWF demands full environmental impact assessment before Shell starts work near the Ningaloo marine park, north of Perth

Alison Rourke: Friday 8 July 2011 17.49 BST

Whale sharks, the world’s biggest species of fish, could be put at risk by oil drilling near Ningaloo marine park, western Australia. Photograph: Henry Walcott/AP

Conservation groups in Australia say a decision to allow Shell to carry out exploratory drilling near Australia’s newest world heritage site, Ningaloo marine park, could devastate the area if there was a spillage.

“It beggars belief that the government is not requiring a full environmental estimate of this drilling proposal,” said Paul Gamblin of the World Wildlife Fund.

Instead, the enrgy giant must abide by certain conditions, including visual observations for whales. The Australian government said Shell’s proposal did not require further assessment. 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.

Shell CEO: Company ‘Learned’ From Russian Experience -Report


By London Bureau Published July 08, 2011 Dow Jones Newswires

LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Anglo-Dutch oil giant Royal Dutch Shell PLC will take lessons it learned from past negative experiences in Russia to aid it in future, Chief Executive Peter Voser said in an interview with Swiss newspaper Finanz und Wirtschaft to be published Saturday.

When Shell was asked about its negative experiences in Russia, Voser said, “You learn from the past and do it differently in the future.”

In May, Voser met with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin to discuss broader cooperation between state company OAO Rosneft (ROSN.RS) and Shell. Recent speculation has posited that Shell may seek to jointly develop blocks with Rosneft in the Russian Arctic Sea after talks between the Russian company and BP PLC (BP, BP.LN) broke down. 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.

Gulf Coast governors defend Shell drilling plan

Gulf Coast governors defend Shell drilling plan

MELINDA DESLATTE, Associated Press

Updated 05:00 p.m., Friday, July 8, 2011

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The governors of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama are asking a federal appeals court to uphold the Obama administration’s approval for a Shell deepwater drilling plan in the Gulf of Mexico.

Environmental groups have asked the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta to throw out the exploration plan. The three Gulf Coast states are seeking to intervene in the case, saying deepwater oil and gas exploration is vital to the states’ economies and to the fossil-fuel dependent nation. 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.

Shell plans $30 bln, 5 year Australia investment

July 8, 2011, 2:45 p.m. EDT

By London Bureau

LONDON (MarketWatch) — Anglo-Dutch oil giant Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA.LN, RDSB.LN, RDSA, RDSB) plans to invest $30 billion in Australia over the next five years, Chief Executive Peter Voser said in an interview with Swiss newspaper Finanz und Wirtschaft to be published Saturday.

The country is a key part of Shell’s liquefied natural gas, or LNG, strategy. Shell aims to produce significantly higher volumes of LNG in coming years, including from the A$43 billion Gorgon project offshore Western Australia state, in which it has a 25% interest. 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.

Shell aims to grow dividend but at ‘right time’

July 8, 2011, 2:42 p.m. EDT

By London Bureau

LONDON (MarketWatch) — Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA, RDSA.LN) aims to grow its dividend as its cash flow increases, though this will be done in a measured way, said Chief Executive Peter Voser in an interview with Swiss newspaper Finanz und Wirtschaft to be published Saturday.

“We’re aiming at a rising dividend. However, we are active in a volatile business, and I don’t want a stop-and-go dividend policy,” said Voser, according to the paper. 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.

Shell serious about ethanol and other biofuels, says CEO

By NALIN VIBOONCHART THE NATION KUALA LUMPUR Published on July 9, 2011

Royal Dutch Shell is heavily focused on investing in the exploration and production of gas and biofuels in promising countries, including China and Brazil, as it foresees that these sources of energy will play an important role over the next four decades as the demand for energy, particularly from Asian countries, will grow much faster than supply.

Chief executive officer Peter Voser yesterday said in Malaysia that Shell was focusing on four areas for future energy development: natural gas, biofuels, reduction of carbon-dioxide (CO2) emission and energy-efficiency products. 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.

Shell to produce more gas than oil from 2012-report

Fri Jul 8, 2011 12:59pm EDT

* Royal Dutch Shell CEO says future belongs to gas-report

* Says trend for energy prices pointing upwards

* Says Shell to invest $30 bln in Australia in next 5 yrs

ZURICH, July 8 (Reuters) – Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) will produce more gas than oil from 2012, Chief Executive Peter Voser was quoted as saying on Friday.

“The future belongs to gas. The known reserves will last for 250 years. Gas power plants complement renewable energies perfectly because power production can be adjusted to demand,” Voser told Swiss newspaper Finanz und Wirtschaft.

“Shell will produce more gas than oil from 2012,” he said in the interview that will be published on Saturday, adding long-term energy price trends were pointing upwards. 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.

Mining the Canadian tar sands: CCS-Project Quest; Pollution of Athabasca River; Concerns of the Canadian Aboriginals

From pages 20 & 21 of “Royal Dutch Shell and its sustainability troubles” – Background report to the Erratum of Shell’s Annual Report 2010

The report is made on behalf of Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands)
Author: Albert ten Kate: May 2011.

CCS-project Quest

Shell’s Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP, Shell share 60%) is planning a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, called Quest, near to its Scotford Upgrader. The total cost of the project is projected to be USD 1.35 billion. The province of Alberta (USD 745 million) and the government of Canada (USD 120 million) are willing to pay most of the costs. The plant is planned to be commissioned at the end of 2015.

The CO2 will be permanently put under the ground during an estimated 25 years at a depth of over 2,000 meters, in a saline formation, with a maximum of 1.2 millions tonnes of CO2 each year. In a recent report quantifying the GHG reduction benefits from the CCS-project, the facilities were assumed to operate with 90% availability, capturing 1.08 million tonnes of CO2 annually. The full lifecycle emissions of the CCS-project itself were estimated to be between 0.16 to 0.24 million tonnes of CO2, around 20% of the annual capture. Conclusively, the project is estimated to reduce 0.84 to 0.92 million tonnes of CO2 annually.109 AOSP emitted 3.7 million tonnes of CO2-equivalents in 2009110, while its production stood at 78,000 barrels per day. Considering an already planned 440,000 barrels per day tonnes of production by AOSP and in- situ by Shell before 2020, the CCS-project will only partly compensate for the increasing emissions due to deriving fuel from oil sands compared to fuels derived from conventional oil. 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.

Ireland’s share of revenue from its gas fields could be as low as 7%, report shows

July 3, 2011 by William Hederman

The tax write-offs under Ireland’s licensing terms for oil and gas are so generous, oil companies could end up paying the exchequer as little as 7% of the revenue from Irish gas fields. This shocking figure is extrapolated from information provided by Brian O’Cathain, former head of the Corrib Gas project. He also predicted Corrib would not now pay any tax. By William Hederman

[ The information presented in this article formed the basis for part of the Think Tank column I wrote for the Sunday Times, July 3rd, 2011 ]

“The State stands to gain at least 25% of profits from Corrib and the sooner the gas is brought ashore, the sooner that money can be used to fund essential services.” Comments such as this one by Fine Gael’s Leo Varadkar [1] last March (2011) perpetuate one of the great misconceptions about oil and gas exploration in Ireland: namely, that the Irish exchequer will earn a healthy share of the revenue from gas or oil fields without having to share in the cost of finding or extracting the resource. 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.

WWF slams Shell reef drilling plans

2011-07-08 14:15

Sydney – Australian green activists expressed outrage on Friday at a government decision to allow energy giant Shell to drill for gas at a pristine reef that was listed as a World Heritage site just two weeks ago.

Ningaloo Reef is considered a natural wonder, sprawling some 260km along Australia’s west coast and teeming with hundreds of tropical fish and coral species.

The UN’s cultural body Unesco listed the remote Ningaloo coast as a World Heritage site late last month due to its reef, sea turtles and white whales. 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.

Greens in shock over Shell drilling rights

Drilling is planned near heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef.

CONSERVATIONISTS say they may appeal a Government decision to allow Shell to drill near the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef.

The Department of Environment said Shell could drill the Palta-1 exploration well, about 50km west of the Ningaloo Marine Park border, if it abided by conditions, including taking measures to avoid significant impacts on threatened species and migratory creatures such as whales.

The controversial decision has sparked outrage among conservationists, including The Wilderness Society, the World Wildlife Fund and the Greens. 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.

Shell Cleared to Drill Near World-Heritage Australian Site

By James Paton and Eduard Gismatullin – Jul 7, 2011 3:08 PM GMT+0100

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) got permission to drill an exploration well near the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef in Australia after the government decided against referring it for a more detailed environmental review.

Shell, Europe’s largest oil company, will drill the Palta-1 well about 70 kilometers (44 miles) from the Ningaloo Reef, the Hague-based company said today in a statement.

“The Exmouth Sub-basin is an important region for oil and gas production in Australia with existing exploration and production facilities operating safely in the region for many years,” the company said. 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.

‘Spills & Spin’ by Tom Bergin; The Inside Story of BP

By Tom Bergin

My book, Spills & Spin; The Inside Story of BP, is published today.

The book provides a behind-the-scenes look at the decisions and personalities that have shaped the company over the past 20 years. It charts BP’s rise from industry also-ran in 1990, to industry-leader, under Lord John Browne, by the turn of the century, and the company’s fall from grace since the Texas City blast in 2005. It reveals the truth behind BP’s mega mergers and its (successful) attempt to turn climate change from a mortal threat to a lucrative business opportunity. 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.

Shell ‘disappointed’ by ruling on fracking ads

Advertising Standards Authority orders the multinational to withdraw “unsubstantiated” and “misleading” claims it made in a series of full-page print advertisements

SUE BLAINE: Published: 2011/07/07 07:13:09 AM: Photo: Reuters

PRO-FRACKING advertisements Shell SA placed in national newspapers were a technical statement of its opinions on the gas extraction technique to promote public understanding of the implications of shale gas exploration in SA, Shell SA chairman Bonang Mohale said yesterday.

Mr Mohale was speaking after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ordered the multinational to withdraw “unsubstantiated” and “misleading” claims it made in a series of full-page print advertisements about its aim to use the controversial gas extraction technique in a 90000km² area of the unique Karoo biome. 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.

Gas Flaring Increases in the Niger Delta

Ogoni: Less Hot Air and More Action – Gas Flaring Increases in the Niger Delta

Despite repeated commitments by oil companies and governments, gas flaring continues in Nigeria at an environmental cost.

Below is an article published by Think Africa Press:

Gas flaring in the Niger Delta region highlights the environmental problems posed by resource extraction, and the failure of successive governments to tackle these problems. Goodluck Jonathan, elected as president of Nigeria this April, has the opportunity to take action where his predecessors have failed.

Gas flaring is a routine practice with a number of extractive processes, including the flaring of associated gas following oil extraction. It is a wasteful process, as much of this gas could be used to provide fuel, either for the local market or for export. According to some estimates, $2.5 billion is wasted annually through gas flaring in Nigeria. Perhaps more importantly, the release of these gasses damages the health of the surrounding population, releases enormous amounts of greenhouse gases and contributes to acid rain. In fact, according to a World Bank  report released in 2002, gas flaring in Nigeria is the single greatest source of greenhouse gases in sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria has the secondhighest gas flaring rates in the world, following Russia. read more

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Welcome to the Niger Delta

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ne0nBc4JKI

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.

Maura Harrington update on Shell Corrib project

Dear John,

I’ve attached for your perusal up to the minute stuff connected with the proposed Shell/Corrib project in north Mayo.

There are two attachments from the Peoples’ Forum proceedings held at the weekend – Mrs Joy Phido’s was printed as a supplement and included with the main copy of contributions. Mrs Phido’s willingness to travel from London was very much appreciated by the local community and the empathy which has always existed between the Ogoni people and ourselves was once again underlined; there were also very good contributions from those with a national profile – Kieran Allen, Harry Browne and Colm Rapple together with local contributions from Niall King, retired Principal Rossport Primary School and Sam from the Solidarity Camp not forgetting of course Majella McCarron’s paper on the current and developing area of Human Rights. 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.

Shell platform to shut down amid continuing concerns about safety

JULY 6, 2011

The Shell-operated Brent Charlie platform 125 miles north-east of Lerwick is to shut down from next Friday on the orders of oil industry regulators amid continuing concerns about safety.

No oil has been pumped ashore from the installation, the hub for the Brent pipeline that comes into Sullom Voe, since January and gas production, which goes through the FLAGS pipeline to St Fergus on the north-east coast of Scotland, has been restricted to one well.

But now the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has served Shell with a legally-enforceable prohibition notice which means the operator will have to cease production entirely. An HSE spokesman declined to give details of the “safety issues” it was concerned about for legal reasons. 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.

Shell shock: Energy giant censured for ‘fracking’ ads

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – Jul 06 2011 20:00
Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell was ordered on Wednesday to withdraw claims about controversial shale gas drilling in an advertisement carried in several South African newspapers.

Anglo-Dutch energy giant Shell was ordered on Wednesday to withdraw claims about controversial shale gas drilling in an advertisement carried in several South African newspapers.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the company had made claims that were unsubstantiated and likely to mislead, in a complaint brought by a lobby group that is fighting a bid by Shell to explore for gas deposits.

Shell wants to drill using hydraulic fracturing known as “fracking” in the country’s vast central Karoo region and published a full-page print advertisement in several daily and weeklies in April. 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.

Oil and gas spills in North Sea every week, papers reveal

guardian.co.uk home

Shell has emerged as one of the top offenders despite promising to clean up its act five years ago after a large accident in which two oil workers died.

More than 100 potentially lethal oil and gas spills took place on rigs in the North Sea in 2009 and 2010. Photograph: Alamy

Documents list companies that caused more than 100 potentially lethal – and largely unpublicised – leaks in 2009 and 2010

Serious spills of oil and gas from North Sea platforms are occurring at the rate of one a week, undermining oil companies’ claims to be doing everything possible to improve the safety of rigs.

Shell has emerged as one of the top offenders despite promising to clean up its act five years ago after a large accident in which two oil workers died.

Documents obtained by the Guardian record leaks voluntarily declared by the oil companies to the safety regulator, the Health and Safety Executive(HSE), in a database set up after the Piper Alpha disaster of 6 July 1988 which killed 167 workers. They reveal for the first time the names of companies that have caused more than 100 potentially lethal and largely unpublicised oil and gas spills in the North Sea in 2009 and 2010. 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.

Nigeria: Shell Links Crude Oil Theft to International Syndicate

By Ejiofor Alike: 5 July 2011

Shell Petroleum development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) has linked the rampant cases of crude oil theft in the Niger Delta to international criminal network, and called on all stakeholders to take urgent steps to check the dangerous trend.

According to SPDC, sabotage and crude oil theft was the cause of 22,310 barrels spilled from its facilities in 112 incidents in 2010, representing an average of about one spill every three days.

However, 5,270 barrels was due to 32 operational problems, arising from equipment failures recorded during the period. 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.

Colorado: Shell gets OK for fracking in Spanish Peaks

July 4, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

State approves 14,000-foot-deep fracking operation without public hearing

SUMMIT COUNTY — Shell Oil & Gas has been cleared to drill deep into a unique geological formation near the Spanish Peaks, in southern Colorado, to explore new natural gas resources.

Huerfano County planning and elected officials gave the exploratory fracking project a conditional green light last week, to the dismay of many local residents who are clamoring for more upfront research and better safeguards against environmental impacts.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission last month denied a citizen request for a public hearing because the request didn’t come from a local government entry. read more

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Mining the Canadian tar sands

From pages 19 & 20 of “Royal Dutch Shell and its sustainability troubles” – Background report to the Erratum of Shell’s Annual Report 2010

The report is made on behalf of Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands)
Author: Albert ten Kate: May 2011.

Shell’s largest unconventional oil resource

Due to “easy” oil getting scarce, oil companies are investing in unconventional oil resources. In general, unconventional oil production has greater environmental impacts than conventional oil production. The Canadian oil sands (often called tar sands) are Shell’s largest unconventional oil reserve. As of 31 December 2010, Canadian oil sands amounted to 26% of Shell’s proven oil reserves. Oil reserves refer to the oil production Shell has secured to exploit in the future.

The oil sands are found in the Canadian province of Alberta. In December 2010, the government of Alberta listed 47 oil sands projects that are planned, underway, or recently completed. The total investment costs for these projects amounted to USD 85 billion. 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.

Shell’s drill rig leaves Dutch Harbor, for now

James Mason: July 1st, 2011 1:19 pm

Shell’s primary drilling unit “Kulluk” began its long journey from Dutch Harbor to Seattle on Thursday. With six tugs in attendance the huge drill rig headed out of Captain’s Bay where it spent the winter. Once the two-week, 3-knot trip is completed the Kulluk will undergo what Shell spokesman Curtis Smith described as “planned technical upgrades.” The rig goes to Seattle because a larger shipyard than Dutch Harbor can provide is necessary for the work, and Dutch Harbor can’t provide housing and other services for the 400-plus workers needed. 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.

France Vote Outlaws ‘Fracking’ Shale for Natural Gas, Oil Extraction

By Tara Patel – Jul 1, 2011 11:22 AM GMT+0100

French senators voted to outlaw hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, making France the first country to pass a law banning the technique for extracting natural gas and oil.

“We are at the end of a legislative marathon that stirred emotion from lawmakers and the public,” French Environment Minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet said late yesterday before the vote. Hydraulic fracturing will be illegal and parliament would have to vote for a new law to allow research using the technique, she said. 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.

Shell Wins Draft U.S. Air Permits for Oil Drilling in Seas Off Alaska

By Katarzyna Klimasinska – Jul 1, 2011 5:38 PM GMT+0100

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) received draft U.S. air quality permits for oil drilling in Alaska’s Chukchi and Beaufort seas. The Environmental Protection Agency’s permits, which are subject to 30 days of public comment, were issued today after the Environmental Appeals Board overturned previous approvals last year. The Hague-based company also needs authorization from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement to begin exploration.

Shell acquired oil leases in the Beaufort Sea in 2005, and added Chukchi Sea leases in 2008. The company has said it plans 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.

Shell’s spokesman Curtis Smith didn’t immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment.

To contact the reporter on this story: Katarzyna Klimasinska in Washington at [email protected] read more

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‘The Pipe’ is now on sale

Risteard O’Domhnaill’s stirring documentary shows a community’s fight against big business

The Pipe DVD is now for sale on http://thepipe.myshopify.com/ and Amazon in the UK and Ireland only, at £12.99 and €14.99.

Trailer

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMSLuxuf_iE

Recent US TV interview with Risteard O’Domhnaill, the director of the award winning documenary: http://www.linktv.org/video/6648/filmmaker-risteard-odomnhaill-on-the-pipe

In 1996 natural gas was discovered off the west coast of Ireland. Shortly afterwards, Shell UK announced plans to run a pipe through the waters and land of Rossport in County Mayo to an inland refinery. Risteard O’Domhnaill’s remarkable film tells what happened next. In short (and there was nothing short about it) the community came together to save the destruction and pollution of the fishing grounds, peat bogs and the natural beauty of the place they call home, while Shell, backed by the money-hungry pre-economic collapse Irish government, ran roughshod over their civil and civic rights. 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.

Shell’s giant Kazakhstan oil project in crisis

Royal Dutch Shell and its partners are to ask the Kazakh government for an extension to the 2013 deadline for the first oil from their troubled Kashagan field.

By Richard Orange, Almaty, Kazakhstan

5:40AM BST 01 Jul 2011

Kazakh oil minister Sauat Mynbayev has repeatedly threatened the consortium of oil companies with heavy financial penalties if it misses the 2013 final deadline.

The partners, including Shell, Total, ExxonMobil, Eni and Kazakh state oil company KMG, have repeatedly missed start dates beginning as far back as 2005.

A last-ditch plan to meet the 2013 deadline involved pumping at least 50,000 barrels per day of oil directly onshore, bypassing an unfinished processing plant on an artificial island. 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.

Shell Executive: No Emergency To Warrant Release From Oil Reserve

June 30, 2011

HOUSTON -(Dow Jones)- There was no emergency in oil markets to warrant the globally coordinated oil release announced last week, a top executive from oil giant Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA) said Thursday.

“That oil is there for emergency purposes. Do I consider now an emergency? I have to say I don’t,” said Marvin Odum, president of Shell Oil Co., the U.S. unit of the Anglo-Dutch giant. “It doesn’t change the middle- to longer-term picture. The conversation we need to be having is about the long-term supply issue.” 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.

Shell Canada confirms LNG partners

An artist’s drawing of the Royal Dutch Shell’s future Prelude Floating Liquefied Natural Gas project in Australia, the world’s first floating LNG facility, is an idea Shell Canada is considering with its partners China National Petroleum Co., Korea Gas Corp. and Mitsubishi Corp. Photograph by: Courtesy, Royal Dutch Shell

Early days for project with Asian firms, spokesman says.

By Rebecca Penty, Calgary Herald June 30, 2011

CALGARY — Shell Canada has partnered with China National Petroleum Co., Korea Gas Corp. and Mitsubishi Corp. to look at building a liquefied natural gas export facility in British Columbia. 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.

Public asked to place its trust in Shell operating principles

By John Donovan

In the article below, part of a major PR campaign, Shell Oil President Marvin Odum (right) asks a public concerned about Shell onshore operations, including hydraulic fracturing (fracking), to place its trust in the integrity of Shell and its global operating principles.

It is therefore timely to reflect on the repeated assurances of Shell business principles and code of ethics contained in the Form 20-F returns Shell filed with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission in the run up to the reserves scandal, which turned out to contain fraudulent declarations of oil and gas reserves. 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.