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July 14th, 2012:

Arctic oil: Shell seeks last-minute break on air pollution permit

By Kim MurphyJuly 13, 2012, 5:53 p.m.

SEATTLE — Only weeks before it is set to begin drilling exploratory oil wells in the Alaskan Arctic, Shell has asked the Environmental Protection Agency for a last-minute revision in its air emissions permits, conceding it has not been able to meet all of the rigorous standards required for the main generator on the drill bit for its Chukchi Sea drilling rig, the Discoverer.

In a filing with the EPA, the company said it was still able to meet overall ambient air quality and annual emissions standards. But it said it was having trouble meeting the requirements for nitrogen oxide and ammonia, despite having spent at least $30 million trying to outfit the diesel generators that will run the drilling equipment on the leased vessel with state-of-the-art technology previously untested on an offshore drilling rig. 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 risks in the Arctic

SHELL’S RISKS IN THE ARCTIC – OPINION PIECE FROM A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR

John

This report is very interesting. It exposes Shell’s risk worldwide, not just in the US. And it discusses the poor record of Gasprom, Shell’s Russian partner. They violated regulatory rules, and had a drilling rig sink, killing over 50 people. It presents a case study of Alaska, and concludes what everyone already knows, Shell underestimates the risk for a major spill and the associated clean up costs. The USGS concludes that there is no method for cleanup of oil in sea ice. So, Shell wouldn’t be able to clean up an oil spill in seas covered with floating sea ice. The report also discusses the $12 bn cost overrun at Sakhalin 2 in 2006. (This appears to be the norm for the company world wide now. Massive cost overruns.) 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.

Lawmakers ask feds to step up scrutiny of Arctic-bound Greenpeace ships

by Jennifer A. Dlouhy: July 13, 2012

With Greenpeace activists planning to shadow Shell’s drillships in the Arctic this summer, some lawmakers want to know why the environmentalists’ vessels aren’t getting as much scrutiny as the energy giant’s fleet.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Washington, today pressed the heads of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to detail their plans for monitoring Greenpeace’s activities — and how they might affect marine life. 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.

City investors are getting cold feet about Arctic oil prospecting

As well as the environmental and ethical argument against oil drilling in the Arctic, some investors say it is too risky to back

: guardian.co.uk,

Sir Paul McCartney and Greenpeace want to turn the Arctic into a no-go area for oil companies – but there are already signs that the City financial groups are getting cold feet about polar drilling.

Shell, which wants to lead the exploration charge off Alaska, has repeatedly declined to say what the potential cost of an oil spill would be, but some lenders are voting with their feet.

WestLB, a key German bank for the energy sector, has quietly changed its lending policies to exclude operations in the far north. It says the “risks and costs are simply too high”. 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.

VICTORY; Shell Halts Pipeline As Minister Orders Safety Review

FROM OUR JULY 2005 SHELL NEWS ARCHIVE…

Daily Mirror (UK): VICTORY; Shell Halts Pipeline As Minister Orders Safety Review

“The energy giant has been forced by the Government to back down in the row over the Corrib gas pipeline that saw five farmers jailed for the past two weeks.”

Thursday 14 July 2005

SHELL last night suspended all work on a controversial pipeline amid fears it may be risking the lives of the local community.

The energy giant has been forced by the Government to back down in the row over the Corrib gas pipeline that saw five farmers jailed for the past two weeks.

The Mayo Five – Philip McGrath, Willie Corduff, Vincent McGrath, Brendan Philbin and Micheal O’Seighin – were imprisoned for contempt of court.

They ignored a High Court ruling ordering them not to block the construction of the pipeline on their land. 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 Sakhalin Project Cost Soars, Deliveries Late

FROM OUR JULY 2005 SHELL NEWS ARCHIVE…

BLOOMBERG: Shell Sakhalin Project Cost Soars, Deliveries Late

“Royal Dutch/Shell Group’s oil and gas project in Russia’s Far East may cost $20 billion, 67 percent more than originally planned…”

Thursday 14 July 2005

July 14 (Bloomberg) — Royal Dutch/Shell Group’s oil and gas project in Russia’s Far East may cost $20 billion, 67 percent more than originally planned, because of soaring metal prices and contractor fees and a declining U.S. dollar.

Deliveries of liquefied natural gas are now expected to start in the summer of 2008, the company said in a statement today, some eight months behind schedule. The project at Sakhalin island is the largest foreign direct investment anywhere in Russia. Shell shares pared gains in London after the statement. 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.