Worthy winners of France’s fiercely contested ‘Prix Pinocchio’ 2014 were selected last night, recognising corporate greed, hypocrisy and malfeasance, based on a record vote since the awards began. Shell won hands down for the Pinocchio award category ‘One for all and all for me!’, with 43% of the vote, for the development of shale gas projects across the entire world – except in Holland, its home country, which is subject to a fracking moratorium.
Fracking
Long noses at Shell
Shale Fracking is a ‘Ponzi Scheme’
“Shale Fracking is a “Ponzi Scheme” … “This Decade’s Version of the Dotcom Bubble”
By John Donovan
A regular contributor has very kindly drawn my attention to an article published by GlobalResearch under the headline: “Shale Fracking is a “Ponzi Scheme” … “This Decade’s Version of the Dotcom Bubble”
In making the case to support the headline, the article contains a host of extracts from well known publications.
e.g.
A Losing Bet
In 2011, the New York Times wrote:
“Money is pouring in” from investors even though shale gas is “inherently unprofitable,” an analyst from PNC Wealth Management, an investment company, wrote to a contractor in a February e-mail. “Reminds you of dot-coms.”
Jury Awards Texas Family $2.9M For Fracking Nuisance
CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLAGE
Extract from an article by Jess Davis published 23 April 2014 by LAW360 under the headline: “Jury Awards Texas Family $2.9M For Fracking Nuisance Claim”
Natural Gas Fracking Boom Turns Sour
Shell, which by energy output is now approaching 60% gas, has already backtracked and downsized its shale gas and oil programs…
By: Andrew_McKillop Mar 09, 2012 – 09:51 AM
Exxon, which by energy output is now 49% gas, failed in its first two efforts to crack gas-rich shale fields in Poland…
Shell, which by energy output is now approaching 60% gas, has already backtracked and downsized its shale gas and oil programs. Initially intending to spend about $5 bn on drilling shale field this year, its CEO Marvin Odum now places spending at $3 billion to $5 billion, Odum adding: Were at the lower end of that right now because of where natural-gas prices are.
Rock-Heating for Oil Pits Shell Against Environmentalists
A proposal to tap the worlds largest oil-shale deposits in the western U.S. by heating rocks until petroleum sweats out has become the latest election-year conflict over energy policy.
Europe is too emotional about fracking, says Shell chief
Tom Bawden: Friday 03 February 2012
Shell’s chief executive, Peter Voser, called on Europe for a less “emotional” response to fracking, as he outlined plans to accelerate the oil giant’s use of the controversial technology used to release hydrocarbons from rocks.
Mr Voser said Shell would invest $6bn (£3.8bn) to appraise, explore and develop gas and oil reserves contained in rocks this year, as it looked to significantly expand the volume of hydrocarbons it produces.
Hunt for Gas Hits Fragile Soil, and South Africans Fear Risks
In July, the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa, an independent agency that sets guidelines for media companies, ruled that several of Shells advertised claims including one that said fracking had never led to groundwater contamination were misleading or unsubstantiated and should be withdrawn.
Chris Hayward, a South African farmer, says, “If our government lets these companies touch even a drop of our water, we’re ruined.”: Photo Credit: Liaan Pretorius for The New York Times
A version of this article appeared in print on December 31, 2011, on page A1 of the New York edition
By IAN URBINA
KAROO, South Africa When a drought dried up their wells last year, hundreds of farmers and their families flocked to local fairgrounds here to pray for rain, and a call went out on the regional radio station imploring South Africans to donate bottled water.
Covering much of the roughly 800 miles between Johannesburg and Cape Town, this arid expanse its name means thirsty land sees less rain in some parts than the Mojave Desert.
Gas Fracking Probably Caused Earthquakes in U.K.
Two small earthquakes near Blackpool in northwest England earlier this year were probably caused by hydraulic fracturing, a technique of grinding underground rocks to extract natural gas.
It is highly probable that fracking, as the process is known, at the Preese Hall-1 site caused the seismic events, Cuadrilla Resources Ltd., a U.K.-based shale explorer, said in a report published today. The combination of geological factors that led to the events were rare and the strongest possible tremor, of a magnitude of 3, would not be a risk to safety or property on the surface, the report said.
Is fracking set to transform the oil market?
COLUMN-Is fracking set to transform the oil market? John Kemp
(John Kemp is a Reuters market analyst. The views expressed are his own)
By John Kemp
Oct 12 (Reuters) – Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling revolutionised the natural gas market, unlocking huge quantities of previous unrecoverable reserves trapped in tight rock formations.
The question is whether they are about to do the same for oil — unlocking billions of barrels of crude trapped in similar rock forms, and thereby upending forecasts about increasing oil scarcity and steeply rising prices.
WHY MALTHUS WAS WRONG
In the short term, prices for commodities are determined by the usual forces of supply and demand. In the medium and long term, however, technology is the main determinant of price and availability.
Panel Seeks Stiffer Rules for Drilling of Gas Wells
By ROBBIE BROWN and IAN URBINA
A version of this article appeared in print on August 11, 2011, on page A13 of the New York edition
A federal Department of Energy panel issued recommendations on Thursday for improving the safety and environmental impact of drilling in shale formations for natural gas.
In a report on the drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, that is used currently in most oil and gas wells, the seven-member Natural Gas Subcommittee called for better tracking and more careful disposal of the waste that comes up from wells, stricter standards on air pollution and greenhouse gases associated with drilling, and the creation of a federal database so the public can better monitor drilling operations.
A Tainted Water Well, and Concern There May Be More
For decades, oil and gas industry executives as well as regulators have maintained that a drilling technique known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, that is used for most natural gas wells has never contaminated underground drinking water.
Shell rapidly expanding its positions in unconventional gas (tight gas, shale gas and coal-bed methane)
From pages 31 & 32 of Royal Dutch Shell and its sustainability troubles Background report to the Erratum of Shells Annual Report 2010
The report is made on behalf of Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands)
Author: Albert ten Kate: May 2011.
Unconventional gas and high-volume fracking
Not only for oil, but also for gas Shell is resorting to unconventional production methods. In December 2010, Shell-CEO Peter Voser stated: In recent years, Shell has increased investment in natural gas projects in countries like Qatar, Australia, Russia, the United States and Canada, with a special focus on tight gas, shale gas and coal-bed methane together these are known as unconventional gas. Were currently exploring the potential for unconventional gas outside North America in countries like China and South Africa, as well as some European countries. The Shell-CEO proceeds: I know by 2012 Shell will be producing more gas than oil, and, I know, when it comes to natural gas supplies, a revolution is under way. (…) Shell is set for strong growth in tight gas.
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 didnt come from a local government entry.
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.
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.
Lawmakers Seek Inquiry of Natural Gas Industry
A version of this article appeared in print on June 29, 2011, on page A12 of the New York edition
Photo Credit: J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press
Representative Maurice D. Hinchey (right) wants S.E.C. action.
WASHINGTON Federal lawmakers called Tuesday on several agencies, including the federal Securities and Exchange Commission, the Energy Information Administration and the Government Accountability Office, to investigate whether the natural gas industry has provided an accurate picture to investors of the long-term profitability of their wells and the amount of gas these wells can produce.
Insiders Sound an Alarm Amid a Natural Gas Rush
By IAN URBINA : A version of this article appeared in print on June 26, 2011, on page A1 of the New York edition
Natural gas companies have been placing enormous bets on the wells they are drilling, saying they will deliver big profits and provide a vast new source of energy for the United States.
But the gas may not be as easy and cheap to extract from shale formations deep underground as the companies are saying, according to hundreds of industry e-mails and internal documents and an analysis of data from thousands of wells.
Blackpool Rocked
Blackpool Shale Gas drilling suspended after quake
31 May 2011
Shale gas test drilling in Lancashire has been suspended following an earthquake on the Fylde coast.
Cuadrilla, the firm behind the tests, said drilling had been suspended as a precaution after the 1.5 magnitude tremor – the second in two months.
It will now examine the data collected by the British Geological Survey (BGS) before deciding whether to resume.
A tremor centred on Poulton-le-Fylde on 1 April shared a “similar location and mechanism”, the BSG said.
Shell’s Karoo-born man steers clear of shale gas rumpus
May 29, 2011 3:08 AM | By ANTON FERREIRA
One of Colesberg’s most successful sons, who went from a sheep farm childhood to becoming vice president of a leading multinational, is trying to keep a low profile in the controversy over plans to look for shale gas in the Karoo.
That’s because the company De la Rey Venter works for in the Netherlands is Royal Dutch Shell, one of the companies that want to “frack” his former backyard.
Venter, a former head boy at Colesberg High School, has had a meteoric career since obtaining a BCom at the University of Johannesburg in 1997. He worked for Samancor, then BHP Billiton. In 2002 he joined Shell.
On a website advertising the school at which he obtained his MBA, Venter said he had chosen his career at Shell because he was “fascinated by the intrigues of geo-politics and by the global energy and environmental debates”.
Gas Wars: Rise of the Anti-Frackers
By Julienne du Toit
South African anti-fracking groups had an extra Easter egg in their baskets this week when the government announced a moratorium on Big Energy plans to prospect for gas in the Karoo, the countrys semi-desert heartland.
What? People Power takes on a tag team of fuel giants and local politicians and wins the 1st round of the southern African Gas Wars? Can it be?
Damn straight. Life retains its ability to surprise and delight.
I came across an article recently with the headline: 5 Reasons to Be Hopeful We Haven’t Totally Screwed Ourselves and the Planet … Yet.
Fossil fuel firms use ‘biased’ study in massive gas lobbying push
Industry urging governments and business to reject renewables in favour of ‘green’ shale gas
Fiona Harvey, environment correspondent, Wednesday 20 April 2011 17.24 BST
Senior executives in the fossil fuel industry have launched an all-out assault on renewable energy, lobbying governments and business groups to reject wind and solar power in favour of gas, in a move that could choke the fledgling green energy industry.
Multinational companies including Shell, GDF Suez and Statoil are promoting gas as an alternative “green” fuel. These companies are among dozens around the world investing in new technologies to exploit shale gas, a controversial form of the fuel that has rejuvenated the gas industry because it is plentiful in supply and newly accessible due to technical advances in gas extraction known as “fracking”.
Oil giants play loose with facts on gas
Fiona Harvey
April 23, 2011
SENIOR executives in the fossil fuel industry have launched an all-out assault on renewable energy, lobbying governments and business groups to reject wind and solar power in favour of gas, in a move that could choke the green energy industry.
Multinational companies including Shell, GDF Suez and Statoil are promoting gas as an alternative green fuel. These firms are among dozens worldwide investing in new technologies to exploit shale gas, a controversial form of the fuel that has rejuvenated the gas industry because it is in plentiful supply and newly accessible because of technical advances in gas extraction that are known as fracking.
Fracking involved in out of control gas well blow out in Pennsylvania
Apr 20, 3:12 PM EDT
Drilling fluid gushes from northern Pa. gas well
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM
Associated Press
ALLENTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A blowout at a natural gas well in rural northern Pennsylvania spilled thousands of gallons of chemical-laced water Wednesday, contaminating a stream and forcing the evacuation of seven families who live nearby as crews struggled to stop the gusher.
Chesapeake Energy Corp. lost control of the well site near Canton, in Bradford County, around 11:45 p.m. Tuesday, officials said. Tainted water continued to flow from the site Wednesday afternoon, though workers finally managed to prevent any more of it from reaching the stream.
SHELL’S CONTROVERSIAL FRACKING PLANS FOR SOUTH AFRICA
The Karoo National Park in South Africa
By John Donovan
The first three draft EMP documents below have been compiled by Golder Associates Africa (Pty) Ltd (Golder), a so called “independent” environmental consultant, retained and paid by Shell.
The documents are part of Royal Dutch Shells application to explore the Karoo basin in South Africa for shale gas using the controversial hydraulic fracturing (fracking) technique.
The remaining document is a critical review prepared by Havemann Inc., specialist energy attorneys.
America’s shale gas revolution has an audience from Blackpool to Algeria
The shale revolution sweeping America is one that the rest of the world will have to start paying attention to as the battle for gas steps up.
By Richard Blackden, US Business Editor Houston, Texas 6:00AM GMT 14 Mar 2011
Blackpool residents are used to a mix of sand and water.
For a British seaside town, its the natural economic fuel. Add in some chemicals, though, and youve got the ingredients of a drilling technique that is radically reshaping Americas energy market and may do so for the rest of the world. Its also drawing a growing chorus of critics concerned at its potential environmental impact.
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves blasting the mix at high pressure to unlock gas trapped in shale rock formations deep underground. And theres a formation, known as Bowland Shale, near Blackpool in North West England, that US company Cuadrilla Resources wants to start fracking this month.
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: 
MORE DETAILS:
A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
