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Oil Sands

Oil Spillage: Nigerian High Court Orders Shell to Pay N30m

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Screen Shot 2015-05-13 at 21.47.326 June 2015

Oil Spillage: S-Court Orders Shell to Pay N30m to Four Communities

The Supreme Court, yesterday, ordered Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited to pay the sum of N30,288,681 to four communities in Delta State.

The apex court found the company culpable for the oil spillage that adversely affected the communities about 32 years ago.

The communities to benefit from the judgment of the court yesterday are Obotobo, Sokebolo, Ofogbene (Ezon Burutu) and Ekeremor Zion (Ezon Asa).

Some leaders of the communities had in 1983, dragged the oil company before a High Court of the then Bendel State. 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.

Prices Fall to a Six-Year Low for U.S. Oil

Screen Shot 2015-03-16 at 23.38.17Article by Stanley Reed published 17 March 2015 in the New York edition of the New York Times

Prices Fall to a Six-Year Low for U.S. Oil

Oil prices fell to six-year lows on Monday in the face of concerns that a glut in the United States was outpacing already-brimming storage facilities.

Additionally, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries published a report suggesting that the cartel remained reluctant to intervene to prop up prices.

The direction of oil prices, which had risen sharply from January lows, has fallen back in recent days. Traders are now focused on the second quarter of the year, when demand for oil is traditionally weak because of the end of winter and scheduled refinery shutdowns for maintenance.

On Monday, the price of West Texas Intermediate crude, the main United States benchmark, fell about 2 percent to about $44 a barrel, a six-year low, while Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell by about 2 percent to about $53 a barrel. 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.

Keystone and the Riddle of the Tar Sands

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BY MARK DOWIE 2/25/15 AT 10:49 PM

Late 21st-century graduate students of business studying the growing problem of stranded assets will almost certainly focus on the history of Canada’s Athabasca Oil Sands (a.k.a. the tar sands). The case studies they read will either describe the gradual abandonment of the world’s largest reserve of bituminous crude or they will read about the tar sands’ miraculous last-minute escape from becoming the world’s largest stranded asset.

For either outcome, the turning point they will look back on is just about now. 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.

Another nail in the coffin of tar sands

BBC NEWS: Obama vetoes Keystone oil pipeline bill: 24 Feb 2015

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US President Barack Obama has vetoed a bill that would have approved construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

The Republican-led Congress sent the bill to the president on Tuesday.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama vetoed the bill “without any drama or fanfare or delay”.

The 875-mile (1,400km) pipeline would carry tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, to the US state of Nebraska where it joins pipes running to Texas.

The project has pitted Republicans and other supporters, who say it will create much needed jobs, against many Democrats and environmentalists, who warn the pipeline will add to carbon emissions and contribute to global warming. 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 withdraws oilsands mine application as a cost-cutting measure

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Screen Shot 2015-01-06 at 21.26.38By Dan Healing of the Calgary Herald

Extracts

The Pierre River oilsands mine proposed by Shell Canada in 2007, split out of a joint application in 2009 and delayed indefinitely last year has been withdrawn entirely from the regulatory approval process.

“The Pierre River mine remains a very long-term opportunity for us but it’s not currently a priority,” said Lorraine Mitchelmore, president of Calgary-based Shell Canada, in a news release on Monday.

“Our current focus is on making our heavy oil business as economically and environmentally competitive as possible. We will continue to hold the leases and can reapply in the future when the time is right.” 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.

Slump in Oil Prices Brings Pressure, and Investment Opportunity

Screen Shot 2015-01-13 at 09.23.28An article by Michael Corkery and Peter Eavis published 2 Feb 2015 by The New York Times under the headline: 

“Slump in Oil Prices Brings Pressure, and Investment Opportunity”

American history is littered with oil busts that created big winners and losers.

Now, as the cracks appear in the latest energy boom, the forces of failure and opportunity are stirring again. Resolute Energy, a Colorado company that borrowed big in the boom, is among those in an endgame that is being played up and down Wall Street and in the vast oil fields that new drilling methods have opened in recent years.

It is a struggle that could take place at scores of other companies, leading to thousands of layoffs, as well as losses for banks and investors. At the same time, new fortunes stand to be made. 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.

Who Will Rule the Oil Market?

Screen Shot 2015-01-13 at 09.23.28OPINION ARTICLE BY DANIEL YERGIN PUBLISHED IN PRINT BY THE NEW YORK TIMES ON SATURDAY 25 JAN 2015

WASHINGTON — A HISTORIC change of roles is at the heart of the clamor and turmoil over the collapse of oil prices, which have plummeted by 50 percent since September. For decades, Saudi Arabia, backed by the Persian Gulf emirates, was described as the “swing producer.” With its immense production capacity, it could raise or lower its output to help the global market adjust to shortages or surpluses.

But on Nov. 27, at the OPEC meeting in Vienna, Saudi Arabia effectively resigned from that role and OPEC handed over all responsibility for oil prices to the market, which the Saudi oil minister, Ali Al-Naimi, predicted would “stabilize itself eventually.” OPEC’s decision was hardly unanimous. Venezuela and Iran, their economies in deep trouble, lobbied hard for production cutbacks, to no avail. Afterward, Iran accused Saudi Arabia of waging an “oil war” and being part of a “plot” against it. 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.

Jesse Colombo, the economic analyst who predicted the oil prices bust 

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FULL CREDIT TO THE EXPERT WHO CORRECTLY PREDICTED THE OIL PRICE CRASH

Screen Shot 2014-12-22 at 21.08.35By John Donovan

In June of this year Forbes.com published an extensive prescient article by Jesse Colombo, an economic analyst, under the headline:

“9 Reasons Why Oil Prices May Be Headed For A Bust”

His prediction made 6 months ago:

“There are a growing number of reasons, however, why crude oil prices are likely to finally experience a bust in the not-too-distant future.”

Jesse Colombo correctly predicted an event of huge significance. Ask Putin or Shell’s Ben van Beurden.

Some further extracts from his brilliant article, which deserves reading in full.

While extreme aggregate trading positions can persist for quite a while, as is the case in the crude oil market for the past few years, they are still a reliable indication that a powerful market reversal is likely to occur when the proper catalyst eventually appears and sends speculators heading for the exits. So far, no bearish catalyst has presented itself in the crude oil market, but the other points that I’ve listed in this piece may combine to form a perfect storm that finally causes the oil market to crack. 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 and the National Gallery: welcome to a Moral Maze

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Spotted this article on the website of the former Royal Dutch Shell executive, Paddy Briggs. 

By Paddy Briggs

I went to the superb exhibition “Rembrandt: The Late Works” at the National Gallery yesterday. The exhibition is sponsored by Shell – quite strongly as it happens. There are a couple of prominent Shell promotional displays and the Shell emblem is visible all over, though not within the actual gallery where the works are to be seen. This suggests that the Shell sponsorship was financially quite large, even that the event, in straightened times for the Arts, might not have gone ahead without it. 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 one of 5 Companies Al Gore Says Are Doomed

Screen Shot 2014-08-06 at 09.25.26“Royal Dutch Shell is another company with a doomed oil sands project, according to the Carbon Tracker Initiative. Its Carmon Creek project needs oil prices to hit $157 per barrel in order to be profitable. On top of that, Royal Dutch Shell is seeking to drill for oil in the Arctic, which has already wasted $5 billion of investors’ capital and would waste more money if drilling restarted.”

By John Donovan

According to an article by Matt DiLallo published by The Motley Fool on 23 August, former US VP Al Gore believes that the balance sheets of ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell Plc, ConocoPhillips, Total SA and BP plc include $7 trillion of worthless ‘unburnable” carbon assets. 

Extract

“This unburnable carbon is the oil, gas, and coal that is still in the earth that, if extracted and burned, would push the globe over the edge in terms of climate change. Because this is an edge we can’t cross, it would suggest that the companies owning the assets are all but doomed.” 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.

BP a better investment than Shell right now

Screen Shot 2014-01-30 at 00.47.49Extracts from an article by David Thorpe published 22 July 2014 by What Investment under the headline: “M&G: BP is a better investment than Shell right now”

Felton’s reason for not investing in Shell at present is that he believes the company has made a significant strategic blunder.

‘Shell has always been the high cost, low risk producer. They are the archetypal supertanker of the oil industry. But a few years ago, they began to focus on extracting very expensive oil from the Canadian sands. The rationale was that the higher production cost would be offset by the ease of transporting the oil just next door to the US. And that made sense, when the US was the largest oil market in the world, but the rapid acceleration of the fracking industry means that the US could become self-sufficient in energy within one or two years, which means Shell wouldn’t have that market.’ 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.

Construction hits midway point on Shell’s Quest carbon-capture project

Screen Shot 2014-02-10 at 16.29.29Extract from an article by David Howell by the Edmonton Journal on 17 April 2014

FORT SASKATCHEWAN — Construction on Shell Canada’s Quest carbon capture and storage project is at the midway point and the facility should be ready to start operating in late 2015, company officials said Thursday. Quest will be the world’s first oilsands CCS project, and Shell’s first CCS project on a commercial scale.

FULL ARTICLE

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.

Major oilsands project put on hold by Shell

JOURNAL of COMMERCE Article by Richard Gilbert: 19 Feb 2014

Screen Shot 2014-02-10 at 16.29.29Royal Dutch Shell has asked federal regulators to halt the environmental assessment for a proposed mine in northeastern Alberta, as part of a plan to re-evaluate the timing of developments. The proposed PRM project involves the construction of an oilsands surface mine and bitumen extraction facilities, which would be located about 90 km north of Fort McMurray on the west side of the Athabasca River.

FULL ARTICLE

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 halts work on Pierre River oil sands mine in northern Alberta

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| February 12, 2014 5:18 PM ET

Screen Shot 2014-02-13 at 00.32.08CALGARY – Royal Dutch Shell PLC told regulators it is halting work on its Pierre River mine in northern Alberta’s oil sands and that it has no idea when it may revive the blueprints. The Hague-based company this year cancelled plans to drill in Alaska’s Arctic and postponed development of a liquefied natural gas venture offshore Australia. The company issued a rare profit warning last month before reporting a 49% plunge in quarterly earnings to $2.9-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 lavish spending on quixotic drilling adventures

Screen Shot 2013-10-16 at 15.38.09Shell’s quest for new reserves has seen it pump billions into money-devouring plays such as its Athabasca Oil Sands Project in northern Alberta and the Kashagan oilfield, a deeply troubled project in Kazakhstan. It’s even tried deep water drilling in the high Arctic. That attempt ended when the stormy waters of the Chukchi Sea crippled its Kulluk drilling platform, forcing the company to pull up stakes. Investors can’t simply count on ever rising oil prices to justify Shell’s lavish spending on quixotic drilling adventures around the world.

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Why Turning a Buck Isn’t Easy Anymore for Oil’s Biggest Players

Former Chief Economist, CIBC World Markets

27 Jan 2014

Judging by pump prices, Canadian drivers might think oil companies were rolling in profits that only move higher. Lately, though, the big boys in the global oil industry are finding that earning a buck isn’t as easy as it used to be.

Royal Dutch Shell, for instance, just announced that fourth quarter earnings would fall woefully short of expectations. The Anglo-Dutch energy giant warned its quarterly profits will be down 70 percent from a year earlier. Full-year earnings, meanwhile, are expected to be a little more than half of what they were the previous year. 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.

Federal government questioned over leaking tailings ponds in Alberta

The secretariat asked Canadian environment officials to explain documented cases of contaminated tailings water being discharged into Jackpine Creek, Beaver Creek, McLean Creek and the Athabasca River, and noted that Environment Canada expressed concern that tailings ponds would be discharged into fish-bearing waters during an assessment of Shell Canada’s Jackpine project. As part of that assessment, Shell acknowledged “some seepage” would occur, the commission said.

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By Marty Klinkenberg, Edmonton Journal December 12, 2013

EDMONTON – A North American trade body has asked Ottawa to respond to allegations that it has failed to enforce its own laws when it comes to oilsands tailings ponds.

The environmental secretariat has given the government 30 days to respond to allegations that it has failed to enforce the federal Fisheries Act by allowing the ponds to leak contaminants into the Athabasca River watershed.

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation, a body created to monitor enforcement of environmental regulations in Canada, the United States and Mexico, could launch a formal review of the federal government’s procedures if dissatisfied with its response. 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.

Canada’s Tar Sands Oil Boom Yields Toxic Wastewater Lakes

Companies including Syncrude Canada, Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil affiliate Imperial Oil are running out of room to store the contaminated water that is a byproduct of the process used to turn bitumen—a highly viscous form of petroleum—into diesel and other fuels. By 2022 they will be producing so much of the stuff that a month’s output of wastewater could turn New York’s Central Park into a toxic reservoir 11 feet deep…

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 By  

Canada is blessed with 3 million lakes, more than any country on earth—and it may soon start manufacturing new ones. The oil sands industry is in the throes of a major expansion, powered by C$20 billion ($19 billion) a year in investments. Companies including Syncrude Canada, Royal Dutch Shell (RDS/A), and ExxonMobil (XOM) affiliate Imperial Oil are running out of room to store the contaminated water that is a byproduct of the process used to turn bitumen—a highly viscous form of petroleum—into diesel and other fuels. By 2022 they will be producing so much of the stuff that a month’s output of wastewater could turn New York’s Central Park into a toxic reservoir 11 feet deep, according to the Pembina Institute, a nonprofit in Calgary that promotes sustainable energy. 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.

Construction moving forward at oilsands facility

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November 13, 2013

Royal Dutch Shell is moving forward with the construction of the Carmon Creek oilsands project in northeast Alberta, which will significantly increase production at its Peace River complex.

“I’m pleased we’re moving ahead with this important project,” said Lorraine Mitchelmore, executive vice president heavy oil.

“Shell’s Peace River oil leases represent a significant development opportunity. Our decision to invest in Carmon Creek has been carefully studied with the goal of designing a project that is competitive from a commercial, technological and environmental perspective.” 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 and Iran on Dutch TV

Screen Shot 2012-11-30 at 18.13.21John

Perhaps you can give a little ‘heads up’ to your followers in the Netherlands.

On TV station Nederland 2 there is the programme ‘Tegenlicht’.

Shell apparently refused to cooperate so they did the research on big data available on the internet.

In a preview yesterday evening it was claimed that all will be revealed on the Shell connection with Iran. The actual programme is being aired tonight, Monday 21 October.

It promises to be an interesting event!

Your site is getting too small to capture all the stuff from Shell in Ireland, shalegas disaster, Alaska disaster, looming tarsands disaster, very poor American management, earthquakes in Groningen etc etc. 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 oil sands deliverer becomes downstream boss

Abbott also takes on a headache in the form of the company’s Motiva U.S. refining joint venture operation, where a new refinery unit faces piping and vibration problems .

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Thu Sep 12, 2013 1:10pm BST

By Andrew Callus

(Reuters) – Shell is to make John Abbott head of its fuels and chemicals business, pitching the deliverer of its Canadian oil sands expansion project into an industry debate over whether the “downstream” business he will run still fits with oil and gas extraction.

A 53-year-old Briton who joined Europe’s top oil company straight from university in 1981, Abbott is credited with bringing Royal Dutch Shell’s Athabasca oil sands expansion project in Canada on stream in the period 2008-2012. 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.

Canada’s hidden and unwanted gift in its heavy crudes

Promoters of Canadian tar sands development and the sale of large volumes of Canadian heavy oil never mention this hidden and unwanted ‘gift’ of high sulfur ‘coal’ that comes with the heavy oil. It is the ‘dirty little secret’ of the Canadian heavy oil crude that nobody in the oil industry wants to talk about. Where this stuff will be stored is a problem yet to be solved. At the present time it cannot be used as a fuel in the US because it is so polluting, worse that the dirtiest coal mined in the US.

Article authored by a regular contributor

John,

The following links tell a story about Canadian tar sands development that is interesting because they bring attention to a serious problem associated with the refining of the heavy crudes and bitumen from Canadian tar sand that has yet to be debated.

The refining of Canadian heavy crudes from the tar sands of Alberta in large volumes is going to produce vast amounts of a high sulfur content solid carbon by-product called ‘petroleum coke’, or ‘pet coke’. Disposal of this unwanted by-product will quickly become a problem for the refiners and nobody seems to be paying attention to that little fact. 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.

The nasty side of mining bitumen on an industrial scale

Screen Shot 2012-05-23 at 17.10.56I doubt that Royal Dutch Shell will be happy with this information about the nasty side of mining bitumen on an industrial scale with minimal environmental pollution control.

SELECTION OF ARTICLES LINKS KINDLY PROVIDED BY A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR

John, 

Here are a collection of articles your readers might be interested in.

I doubt that Royal Dutch Shell will be happy with this information about the nasty side of mining bitumen on an industrial scale with minimal environmental pollution control.

The Tyee – A Smoking Gun on Athabasca River: Deformed Fish: Sep 17, 2010 – All had been pulled from fishing nets on Lake Athabasca and the delta … mining waste sediment suffered from deformities, bleeding and skin … 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.

Opponents of Oxford’s partnership with Shell

Screen Shot 2013-05-10 at 09.07.55Shell’s research money is also buying legitimacy for its unconscionable activities globally. These include human rights abuses in the Niger delta, reckless drilling plans in the Arctic, fracking in South Africa, and carbon-intensive tar sands extraction that undermines indigenous rights in Canada.

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Thursday 9 May 2013

Today sees the launch of a new partnership between the University of Oxford and Shell. As Oxford alumni, staff and students, we are united in our opposition to this new partnership and the growing trend of oil companies funding, and thus influencing, the research agenda of our universities. Shell is a particularly inappropriate choice of funder for an Earth sciences laboratory. Shell’s core business activities and political lobbying are pushing us towards a future with a global temperature increase well in excess of 2C. Oxford’s own climate scientists are warning us that we need to leave the majority of known fossil fuels in the ground, and yet this new partnership will undertake research that will help Shell to find and extract even more hydrocarbons. 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.

Top Canada court will not hear oil sands case

Screen Shot 2013-01-29 at 14.38.10 Thu Apr 11, 2013 5:42pm EDT

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) – Canada’s Supreme Court on Thursday declined to hear an Alberta aboriginal group’s application to block an upcoming regulatory decision for a Royal Dutch Shell oil sands development.

The aboriginal group sought the block because it was not adequately consulted.

The country’s top court did not give reasons for refusing to hear the case, which was also dismissed by the Alberta Court of Appeal in November.

The Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation argued that the regulatory panel weighing Shell’s application for its Jackpine mine expansion in northern Alberta should consider whether the government met its constitutional duty to consult the native group. 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.

One-on-one with Shell Oil president Marvin Odum

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The U.S. will always need our oil.

James Cowan

Marvin Odum’s job titles could fill several business cards. He is president of Shell Oil Co. in the United States, and sits on the executive committee of Royal Dutch Shell, its parent company. But for Canadians, his most important role is serving as the executive director of Shell Upstream Americas, where he supervises exploration and production across the Western Hemisphere. Falling within his portfolio are the company’s Canadian operations, including the Athabasca oilsands project and its growing interests in liquefied natural gas (LNG), including a proposed export terminal in Kitimat, B.C., with a rumoured price tag of more than $12 billion. The company is also at the forefront of efforts to change the oilsands’ poor environmental image, investing in the $1.35-billion Quest project, which captures carbon emissions from oilsands operations and buries them beneath the surface. While seen as a pilot project for the industry, it also took millions in provincial and federal government support to launch. In an interview with Canadian Business deputy editor James Cowan, Odum spoke about whether the Keystone XL pipeline will ever receive U.S. approval, why cap-and-trade is good for industry, and what it will take for Canada to become a world leader in LNG. 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.

S&P Warns of Credit Downgrade for BP, Shell, Others

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March 4, 2013

Oil and gas companies including BP and Shell will likely see declines in cash flows and credit downgrades if world leaders implement policies to limit GHG emissions, according to a study by Carbon Tracker and Standard & Poor’s.

What A Carbon-Constrained Future Could Mean For Oil Companies’ Creditworthiness looks at how BP and Shell, along with three Canadian companies that focus on oil sands projects — Canadian Oil Sands, Canadian Natural Resources, and Cenovus Energy — would be affected by the International Energy Agency’s 450 scenario. This scenario aims to limit the global increase in temperature to 2 degrees Celsius by limiting GHG emissions to 450 parts per million (ppm) of CO2, resulting in a 35 percent reduction in oil use for transport by 2030, and 49 percent by 2035. 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 undermines climate, guts clean energy legislation

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By: Ray Anderson, River Falls Published February 13, 2013

Letter: Shell undermines climate, guts clean energy legislation, he says

TO THE EDITOR: The Royal Dutch Shell Oil Company, the most carbon-intensive oil company in the world, will contribute more to global warming than any other oil company.

Shell continues to expand investments in oil sands and oil shale using the dirtiest technologies to make it a leader in the industry. Often extracted with gas, that gas is burnt off in huge roaring flames at Shell’s operations in Nigeria, causing premature deaths, child respiratory illnesses, asthma attacks and cancer.

Even though gas flaring was made illegal in 1984, “instead of stopping that practice, Shell decided it was more profitable to pay the legal fines instead and continues to flare one billion cubic feet of gas per day. 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 Sands Industry in Canada Tied to Higher Carcinogen Level

The development of Alberta’s oil sands has increased levels of cancer-causing compounds in surrounding lakes well beyond natural levels, Canadian researchers reported in a study released on Monday. And they said the contamination covered a wider area than had previously been believed. “Now we have the smoking gun,” Professor Smol said. The study is likely to provide further ammunition to critics of the industry, who already contend that oil extracted from Canada’s oil sands poses environmental hazards like toxic sludge ponds, greenhouse gas emissions and the destruction of boreal forests.

Todd Korol/Reuters: An oil sands mine Fort McMurray, Alberta.

By : A version of this article appeared in print on January 8, 2013, on page A4 of the New York edition

OTTAWA — The development of Alberta’s oil sands has increased levels of cancer-causing compounds in surrounding lakes well beyond natural levels, Canadian researchers reported in a study released on Monday. And they said the contamination covered a wider area than had previously been believed.

For the study, financed by the Canadian government, the researchers set out to develop a historical record of the contamination, analyzing sediment dating back about 50 years from six small and shallow lakes north of Fort McMurray, Alberta, the center of the oil sands industry. Layers of the sediment were tested for deposits of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs, groups of chemicals associated with oil that in many cases have been found to cause cancer in humans after long-term exposure. 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.

Critics blast Shell, saying its Jackpine oilsands plan will harm the environment

By Sheila Pratt, Edmonton Journal November 21, 2012 EDMONTON – Shell Canada is trying to “sneak” its Jackpine project past regulators before the regional plan is complete, and the $12-billion mine expansion should be delayed for a year, a review panel was told in the final day of hearings into the project 100 km northeast of Fort McMurray.

The company came under heavy fire Wednesday, partly because its plan to move the Muskeg River, in order to mine the riverbed, runs counter to a 2008 provincial plan calling for protection of the watershed.

First Nations also said Shell’s science is “biased”and “full of gaps,” while the company’s refusal to set aside conservation land to offset habitat destruction drew fire from federal interveners.

Environmentalists rejected the company’s claim there will be “no unacceptable, long-term environmental effects” after decades of mining. read more

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Panel says it doesn’t have authority to rule on challenge to Jackpine Mine expansion

Constitutional challenge to Shell oilsands development raised by First Nation, Metis groups

By Marty Klinkenberg, Edmonton Journal October 26, 2012

The Joint Review Panel reviewing Shell’s proposed Jackpine Mine expansion project north of Fort McMurray on Friday ruled that it does not have jurisdiction to consider a constitutional challenge raised by the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and a regional band of the Métis Nation of Alberta.

Photograph by: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg , Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg read more

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Alberta First Nation wants to stop Shell Canada’s Jackpine mine expansion

By Marty Klinkenberg, Edmonton Journal October 22, 2012

EDMONTON – Backed by human rights organizations and conservation groups, the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation will argue in Fort McMurray on Tuesday that it should be allowed to issue a legal challenge against Shell Canada’s proposed expansion of its Jackpine mine in northeastern Alberta.

In an appearance before the Energy Resources Conservation Board and Joint Environmental Review Panel, the First Nation will argue that the government has failed to meaningfully address the impact the development could have on the band’s traditional territory and is therefore in violation of its treaty rights. read more

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Study for Shell’s Jackpine oilsands mine predicts big losses in animal habitat

By Marty Klinkenberg, Edmonton Journal October 21, 2012

A black-throated green warbler bathes at the bird sanctuary at High Island in Texas, May 8, 2006.

Photograph by: NATALIE CAUDILL , MCT

EDMONTON – Shell Canada outlines a substantial loss of habitat for birds, woodland caribou, bison and other animals in an environmental assessment of the proposed expansion of its Jackpine oilsands mine in northeastern Alberta.

The document prepared by the company for an upcoming public hearing predicts that the impact of all development projects in the region, including but not restricted to the proposed Jackpine mine, would result in the loss of 40 to 60 per cent of the habitat for birds, 47 per cent of habitat critical to woodland caribou, 39 per cent of the habitat used by wood bison and significant swaths of forest important to fisher, lynx, wolverine, moose, beaver and black bear. read more

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Shell tries new rules to block Greenpeace from Jackpine hearings

By Bob Weber, The Canadian Press October 17, 2012 1:20 PM

EDMONTON – Shell Canada is using the federal government’s new environmental assessment rules to try to bar Greenpeace from hearings on the company’s proposed Jackpine oilsands mine.

In a letter to the agency conducting the assessment of the plan, Shell lawyers argue that Greenpeace and two university professors no longer have standing under new rules contained in the Harper Tories’ omnibus budget bill.

Those new rules limit presenters to those who are directly affected by a project or those who have relevant information or expertise useful to the panel. The lawyers say those categories no longer include all the people who signed up to appear at the hearings when they begin Oct. 29. read more

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First nations band files treaty rights challenge against Shell

SHAWN McCARTHY and CARRIE TAIT

OTTAWA and CALGARY — The Globe and Mail: Published

If successful, the groundbreaking legal action by the Indian band would create a major new hurdle for oil sands proponents, forcing them to work with federal and provincial governments to fully consult aboriginal communities before they get a permit to proceed. read more

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Shell to Build Canada Capture Project for Oil-Sands Emissions

By Eduard Gismatullin – Sep 5, 2012 1:19 PM GMT+0100

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), Europe’s biggest oil company, will build the first carbon capture and storage project in Canada that locks away emissions from mining oil sands.

The company, together with partners Chevron Corp. (CVX) and Marathon Oil Corp. (MRO), received government backing to start work on the Quest venture north of Edmonton, Shell said today in a statement. It’s designed to capture and permanently store underground more than 1 million tons of carbon-dioxide a year from Shell’s Scotford upgrader, the equivalent of talking 175,000 cars off the road. read more

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Federal scientists still wary of Shell’s Jackpine oilsands expansion

Documents reveal concerns ahead of fall public hearings into northern Alberta mine expansion

The Canadian Press: Posted: Aug 27, 2012 12:18 PM ET

A demonstration tailings pond in Shell’s Muskeg River oilsands mine in northern Alberta. The company’s ability to store the byproducts of oilsands extraction in a manner that doesn’t harm the environment is one of the concerns raised by federal scientists worried about Shell’s plans to expand another of its mines, the Jackpine facility north of Fort McMurray, Alta., . (Handout/Reuters)

Regulatory documents indicate federal scientists still have significant concerns over Shell’s proposed Jackpine oilsands mine expansion north of Fort McMurray, Alta., even as the project heads into public hearings. read more

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Federal scientists still concerned over Shell’s Jackpine oilsands expansion

 By Bob Weber, The Canadian Press  | August 26, 2012

EDMONTON – Regulatory documents indicate federal scientists still have significant concerns over Shell’s proposed Jackpine oilsands mine expansion even as the project heads into public hearings.

Five years after Shell Canada first proposed the 100,000-barrel-a-day project, it has been finally scheduled to go before a joint federal-provincial environmental hearing Oct. 29.

In their final submissions to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, several federal departments say they still have questions about Shell’s plans. They include how growth in the industry has outpaced the company’s assessment of cumulative effects, how changing flow in the Athabasca River will affect contaminant levels and how well Shell is able to control effluent from artificial lakes that will be used to store tailings. read more

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Shell achieves production milestone at oil sands operations

By Shell Canada Limited Published: Monday, Aug. 20, 2012 – 10:06 am

CALGARY, Aug. 20, 2012 — /CNW/ – Shell, as operator of the Athabasca Oil Sands Project (AOSP), today announced that its oil sands operations have achieved the production milestone of 500 million barrels since production began in 2003.

“This is a tremendous achievement for Shell’s oils sands business,” said John Abbott, Executive Vice President, Heavy Oil. “This milestone is the result of the hard work and dedication of many thousands of employees and contractors. The oil sands are a secure, reliable source of energy for North America and an economic engine which drives employment, training and business development across Canada and beyond.” read more

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Shell CEO: America can be energy independent in 20 years; company profit drops on lower prices

By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, July 26, 5:18 PM

AMSTERDAM — The chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell PLC on Thursday said that whichever political party wins the U.S. presidential election in November should formulate an energy policy with a view to achieving “near energy independence” within 20 years.

Swiss CEO Peter Voser, who heads Europe’s largest oil company, was speaking after his company’s second quarter earnings showed a greater than expected decline in profits, due mostly to lower oil prices.

At a meeting with analysts in London, Voser said that energy independence could be possible using a combination of newly-available technologies for extracting oil in difficult-to-reach areas, including the icy Alaska seas where Shell is undertaking exploratory drilling this summer, deep sea operations in the Gulf of Mexico, heavy oil sands, and especially developing the US’s large natural gas reserves would all help. read more

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Oilsands must prove impact being reduced, say groups

They want Alberta to demonstrate that recommendations are being followed

By Bob Weber, The Canadian Press July 9, 2012

Environmentalists are trying to force the Alberta government to show it’s followed through on previous recommendations to reduce the impact of oilsands mines before any more projects are approved.

The Oilsands Environmental Coalition has asked the regulatory panel examining Shell’s proposed Jackpine expansion to check into the status of dozens of recommendations by previous panels.

Those recommendations were conditions under which previous oilsands projects were given the OK, but there’s no information on whether they’ve been lived up to, said Simon Dyer of the Pembina Institute. read more

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Canada must act fast or miss LNG window-Shell CEO

Tue May 29, 2012 6:58pm EDT

* Shell’s Voser says Canada can’t weather regulatory delay

* Supports Ottawa’s plans for streamlining

* Can add Athabasca oil sands volumes for under $50/bbl

By Jeffrey Jones

CALGARY, Alberta, May 29 (Reuters) – Canada only has until the end of this decade to build up its liquefied natural gas industry or face being overtaken by other countries looking to cash in on booming demand for the fuel throughout Asia, Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s chief executive said on Tuesday. read more

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Shell sees low cost expansion in Canada’s oil sands

CALGARY, Alberta | Tue May 29, 2012 5:05pm EDT

May 29 (Reuters) – Peter Voser, chief executive of Royal Dutch Shell Plc said on Tuesday that the company expects to expand production from its 255,000 barrel per day Athabasca Oil Sands Project by as much as 90,000 bpd by the end of the decade.

Voser told reporters in Calgary that Shell plans a series of debottlenecking operations that will add new production at a cost of less than $50 per barrel.

He also warned that Canada has to become competitive in Asia’s liquefied natural gas market during the current decade. read more

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Shell Puts Orion Oil-Sands Project In Alberta Up For Sale

Published May 28, 2012 Dow Jones Newswires

CALGARY –  Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA) has put its Orion oil-sands project near Cold Lake, Alberta, up for sale.

Orion is an underground steam-injection project that produces 5,000 barrels a day of oil and generated operating income of C$15.6 million (US$15.2 million) during the first quarter, according to the investment bank Scotia Waterous, which is organizing the sale.

Scotia didn’t say what the estimated value of the Orion project was, and representatives of Scotia and Shell weren’t immediately available to comment. read more

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Spectre of Shell Reapers hangs over AGM

22 May 2012

At today’s Shell AGM link at the Barbican the suits on the Shell board were given a 3 hour grilling, with questioners focussing attention on its environmental and human rights crimes around the world. Spread throughout the auditorium, hooded London Rising Tide & friends’ grim Shell reapers stood silently awaiting direction from the board toward their next appointment with Shell induced death and environmental destruction.

The grim figures stood motionless for almost an hour while Messrs Ollila and Voser, Chairman & CEO, attempted to defend Shell’s ravenous pursuit of profit above all else at the expense of:
– the pristine Arctic, where drilling and probably spilling will begin in the summer;
– the Canadian boreal forest, where Tar Sands “extraction” has increased by 100k barrels per day
– the once beautiful fish spawning grounds of the Niger Delta, now clogged with a “Deepwater Horizon’s” worth of oil every year read more

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Shell oil plans irk Canadian tribes

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, May 23 (UPI) — Plans by Shell to expand operations in oil fields in the Canadian province of Alberta are threatening the environment, a tribal group said.

Leaders from the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation presented a report to Shell shareholders at The Hague, Netherlands, highlighting concerns about the environmental impacts of oil development in Alberta.

Eriel Deranger, a spokeswoman for the group, said Shell’s plans for the region are harming traditional tribal lands, including sensitive watersheds in the area. read more

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Ashamed of Shell

COMMENT FROM A FORMER SHELL EMPLOYEE (Name and contact information supplied).

I was reading your blog today about Shell’s annual meeting and the dissatisfaction being expressed by shareholders. One shareholder I think summed up the attitude of most shareholders in general, and employees in particular (who are also shareholders in Shell through the various stock purchase plans). The comment about the conduct of corporate management was – ‘… I don’t want to be ashamed (of the way the company was conducting itself) ….’.

Well, I think that shareholders have a good deal to be ashamed of, whether it is the (mis)conduct of the company in Nigeria (oil exploitation), corporate (mis)conduct in the States and South America (pesticide production and pollution), corporate (mis)conduct with regard to the IP rights of partners, contractors, etc., and the defrauding of investors, etc., through the cooking of the ‘reserve books’, and so on. Shareholders should even be ashamed of the company’s past affiliation with the Nazis and Shell’s refusal to come clean on that matter. read more

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Shell Net Little Changed, Projects Offset Lower Output

By Eduard Gismatullin – Apr 26, 2012 7:48 AM GMT+0100

Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA), Europe’s biggest oil company, reported first-quarter earnings that beat estimates and raised a target for asset sales this year.

Excluding one-time items and inventory changes, Shell posted profit of $7.28 billion, compared with the $6.7 billion average estimate of eight analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Chief Executive Officer Peter Voser said asset sales this year are likely to be in excess of $4 billion, compared with earlier expectations of $2 billion to $3 billion. The company generated additional cash in the quarter from new projects in Canada’s Athabasca oil sands and Qatar as Brent crude traded 12 percent higher than a year earlier. read more

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Nigerian Delta Rights Group of over 100 aggrieved former Shell employees

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

POSTING BY THE NIGERIAN DELTA RIGHTS GROUP OF FORMER SHELL EMPLOYEES

Find attached pictures of oil spills in the Niger Delta caused by SHELL and hidden away from Regulatory Agencies. These spills occurred and were hidden and cleaned up in-house using villagers from host communities, thereby, exposing them to toxic fumes, harm, dangers and even fire and explosion.

If disputed by SHELL, we have more of these pictures showing the Field name, Well name and other parameters. Kindly let us know if you need them and we will oblige you.  We will release all the pictures and more incriminating documents. 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 forest to offset oilsands footprint

By Dave Cooper, Edmonton Journal April 10, 2012 2:06 AM

Shell Canada will buy 740 hectares of private land north of Grande Prairie in a venture with the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA), the oil giant announced Monday.

With a mix of woodlands, grasslands and wetlands along the Ksituan River, the site – now called the Shell True North Forest – is near the town of Spirit River, less than a kilometre south of Moonshine Provincial Park.

Previously used for grazing cattle and hay production, the land will be jointly managed to conserve biodiversity while allowing low-impact recreation, such as hiking and bird watching, the oil giant said in a news release. read more

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Local Push Global Pull: The Untold History of the Athabaska Oil Sands

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Dear John

I have in the past viewed your web site and have always found the items interesting.  Thus, I am being so bold to tell you about a book that I have written on the early oil sands history in which I have included a chapter devoted to Royal Dutch Shell that some of your visitors might find to be of interest.

The chapter centres around three separate requests that Shell put forth before the government of Canada that was greatly opposed when news of the request was leaked.  The year 1917.  The request – sole concession of the northern half of the province of Alberta and an even larger portion of land along the Mackenzie River in the NWT.  In total, the concession amounted to 75,000 square miles larger than the whole of Alberta. 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.