TRUSTING SHELL TO DRILL IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN
Copy of an email sent by John Donovan to every UK MP: 25 APRIL 2012
ROYAL DUTCH SHELL SENIOR MANAGEMENT HAS HAD ADVANCE SIGHT OF THIS EMAIL AND THEREFORE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEEK AN INJUNCTION IF ANYTHING STATED IS UNTRUE
This issue transcends all geographical (and constituency) boundaries.
In September 2011, The Independent published an article under the headline: "Oil exploration under Arctic ice could cause 'uncontrollable' natural disaster. One of the world's leading polar scientists has warned: "If there is serious oil spill under ice in the Arctic it will be very hard, if not impossible to stop it becoming an environmental catastrophe…"
What should be given the greatest weight in deciding if Shell can be trusted to drill in the Arctic Ocean – Shell's promises about being able to react quickly and effectively to any incident/disaster arising from its pioneer Arctic drilling commencing in July, or its horrendous track record ofenvironmental pollution on an epic scale and deceiving host governments?
Shell won the rights to drilling rights in the USA after spending millions of dollars lobbying the Federal government.
I operate the entirely non-commercial websiteroyaldutchshellplc.com, the worlds leading online resource for information about Royal Dutch Shell, with free access to over 30,000 articles, documents and commentary relating to Shell. The website and my network of "moles" inside Shell, was the subject of a recent major article by the German broadsheet newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, translated and published in multiple languages by presseurop, an EU funded news source.
I am therefore in a unique position to provide examples of Shell misdeeds.
SAKHALIN ENERGY, SAKHALIN II PROJECT IN RUSSIA (IN WHICH SHELL WAS THE MAJORITY SHAREHOLDER)
In October 2006, Oleg Mitvol, the then Russian Deputy Minister of the Environment, confirmed he intended to take Sakhalin Energy to court claiming $10 billion in damages for alleged environmental violations based on evidence I provided to him, including high level Shell internal emails. He said: "I have email correspondence between executives in Sakhalin Energy management from 2002. I received these letters from John Donovan, owner of the anti-Shell website www.royaldutchshellplc.com. I received them on 19 October and forwarded them to Sakhalin Energy with a request for an official reply. But I have not received any reply so far. I presume that they are in shock."
During a television documentary feature about me broadcast by ARD on Germany TV on Saturday, Mr Mitvol confirmed again that he got the above evidence from me. He said: "Yes, Mr. Donovan's documents really helped us." "His evidence proved without a doubt that documents had been forged and that problems had deliberately been kept secret." Faced with the overwhelming evidence of blunder and cover-up, Shell surrendered its majority stake in the project at a cost of tens of billions of dollars. Shell had deliberately hidden from the Russian government high level internal warnings of a potential environmental catastrophe.
SHELL'S APPALLING TRACK RECORD IN NIGERIA
In 2004, I published a 93 page leaked confidential Shell internal report admitting that the companies activities had fuelled corruption, violence and poverty in Nigeria. Shell has been promising for decades to end gas flaring in Nigeria, but has not done so. Oil spills have destroyed the environment in the Niger Delta. Shell partly blames the oil spills on attacks made on its pipelines. However, based on insider information, I revealed in 2009 Shell's financial dealings with the leaders of militant groups attacking the pipelines. In October last year, The Guardian published a related article: "Shell accused of fuelling violence in Nigeria by paying rival gangs." In December 2010, WikiLeaks revealed that Shell had embedded spies throughout the Nigerian government. In 2009, Shell settled for $15.5 million a case accusing it of complicity in human rights abuses in Nigeria. As you probably know, a jurisdiction issue concerning a related case is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2010, Shell paid a $48 million Nigerian fine for corruption.
THE CONTROVERSIAL CORRIB GAS PROJECT IN IRELAND
I have regularly published Shell internal documents and internal emails relating to the controversial Corrib Gas Project in Ireland. In 2007, I published the confidential minutes of a 2002 meeting of Shell group managing directors recording the intent to seek out and influence "well placed" contacts in the Irish government and regulators in relation to planning consent. A police investigation of alleged death threats against my Corrib whistleblower sources(who disclosed that internal warnings about safety issues have been suppressed), has been underway for over a year. I found out from Shell internal documents obtained in response to a SAR application, that Shell has initiated a global spying operation trying to trace my insider sources. See Reuters article.
SHELL'S NOTORIOUS "TOUCH F*** ALL" APPROACH TO SAFETY ISSUES ON NORTH SEA PLATFORMS
In 1999, Bill Campbell, a senior Shell official, led a safety audit on the Brent Bravo platform. His team discovered to their horror, a "Touch F*** All" safety culture was in place. Worse still, safety records were routinely falsified and repairs bodged. Shell management failed to honour pledges about taking remedial action and in 2003 an explosion took place on Brent Bravo in which platform workers lost their lives. Shell received a recording breaking fine for an avoidable accident. After Mr Campbell retired as Group HSE Auditor, he mounted a campaign for improved safety for offshore workers and in July 2007, sent this letter to every MP. Amazingly, despite his continuing campaign and Shell's pledges, its North Sea safety record has got worse, not better. In 2008, even the lifeboats on Shell platforms were found to be unseaworthy.
SHELL'S DISREPUTABLE CONDUCT IN THE USA
Bearing in mind Shell's involvement in major scandals involving U.S. oversight authorities, I am surprised that the U.S. government has been prepared to place its faith in Shell. In 2004, news broke of a reserves scandal. Shell had filed FORM 20F Returns to the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission containing false information about the volume of its proven oil and gas reserves. Shell bolstered confidence in the inflated figures by including references to Shell's Business Principles, pledging honesty, integrity and openness in all of Shell's dealings. Three Shell executive directors, including the Group Chairman, were forced to resign. I supplied evidence from Shell insiders to the lead plaintiff lawyers in the subsequent class action. In 2008, Shell was found to have plied U.S. Department of the Interior officials with improper gifts in a sex and drugs corruption scandal.
Shell has for many decades put profits before mere ethical considerations, whether it be resorting to subterfuge to disguise its shipments of Iranian crude, or dealing with despots such asGeneral Sani Abacha in Nigeria, or Gaddafi in Libya. There is alsoirrefutable evidence that Shell conspired directly with Hitler, heavily financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis.
Moving back to current events, in August 2011, Shell attracted adverse publicity for hiding information about an oil spill in the North Sea.
Don't hide facts about oil leak: The Herald
Shell accused of secrecy over North Sea platform oil leak: Aberdeen Press and Journal
Shell needs to come fully clean: The Independent
Shell's reputation is tarnished by North Sea oil spill: TheNewsTribune.com
In view of the above track record, do you feel at ease trusting Royal Dutch Shell to drill in the Arctic?
This email is also being sent to every U.S. Senator.
Regards
John Donovan
Shell's toxic legacy in Brazil
The plant was built in 1977 by Shell… Dozens of former employees of the plant have been diagnosed with prostate, thyroid and other types of cancer, circulatory, liver and intestinal illnesses, as well as infertility and sexual impotence, the statement added.
By John Donovan
We have received emails seeking our help and advice from ATESQ (*Exposed Chemical Substances Workers Association), all former workers at Shell/Basf Chemicals in Paulinia, Brasil, who won a court case against against both multinationals.
In August 2010 the two companies were ordered to pay a total of490 million euros in fines and damages for the workers exposureto toxic substances at a Sao Paulo factory.
Extracts from the emails:
We have gained a lawsuit that says Shell and Basf must pay for our medical treatments and pay for the damages they caused to us, but so far nothing has been done. Shell/Basf appealed to a second degree court. They lost at the second degree court and appealed to the upper-federal court, which they lost and right now they have appealed to request a reduction on their monetary penalty.
Judiciary and Politicians here in Brazil are highly influenced by the power Shell and BASF have on them, as well as on the media.
So, they know we have the rights, but nobody imposes them to carry out their obligation.
Truly yours,
Extracts End
Matters are complicated by the fact that reportedly BASF is putting all of the blame on Shell, claiming the contamination was"caused and acknowledged by Shell."
We have suggested that the workers send a representative to the Shell AGM in May to raise the matter during the Q&A Session. We have offered to supply an entry pass.
If anyone has any suggestions on how to assist these Brazilian workers on actually obtaining the monies they have already been awarded, please contact me.
*Associação dos Trabalhadores Expostos a Substâncias Quimicas
RELATED ARTICLES
Thousands exposed to Shell's toxic waste in Brazil: Radio Netherlands Worldwide 20 August 2010
Extracts
Former workers at a Brazilian chemical plant operated by Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell are relieved that a court has ordered the company to pay hundreds of millions of euros in compensation for their exposure to toxic substances.
In the early 1990s an international research agency found that the land and groundwater around the factory were contaminated with pesticides. The substances are known to be carcinogenic and affect the central nervous system.
Multi-million euro fine for Shell and BASF: By Radio Netherlands Worldwide: 20 August 2010
Extract
A Brazilian court has ordered Shell Brasil and international chemical giant BASF to pay a total of 490 million euros in fines and damages in connection with the exposure of workers at a Sao Paulo factory to toxic substances, Brazilian media report. Workers suffered health problems including high blood pressure and cancer. The factory, founded by Shell in 1977 and later taken over by BASF, was closed down in 2002.
Shell, Basf Ordered to Pay $354 Million in Brazil Plant Contamination Case: Bloomberg 20 August 2010
Extract
The Brazilian units of Basf SE and Royal Dutch Shell Plc. were fined a total of 622 million reais ($354 million) after former workers suffered health problems because of contamination at a plant in Paulinia, Sao Paulo state, from the 1970s to 2002.
Brazil Court Fines Shell, BASF $654M For Toxic Leaks- Report: The Wall Street Journal 21 August 2010
Extract
BASF said the ruling was "absurd," as the contamination was "caused and acknowledged by Shell," according to the report.
Brazil Court Fines Shell, Basf for Making Workers Sick: Herald Tribune 21 August 2010
Extract
The plant was built in 1977 by Shell… Dozens of former employees of the plant have been diagnosed with prostate, thyroid and other types of cancer, circulatory, liver and intestinal illnesses, as well as infertility and sexual impotence, the statement added.
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