Shell in court again, this time Canada
The TRUTH will set you FREE.
From an article published by the observer.ca on 7 Jan 2015 under the headline:
“Shell to appear Feb 13 in Sarnia court”
Shell Canada has been charged by Ontario’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change following a Jan. 11, 2013 incident at its plant near Corunna.
Ministry spokesperson Kate Jordan said in an email that the charge is related to a leak of flare liquids at its Sarnia Manufacturing Centre.
The charge alleges Shell Canada did commit the offence of discharging, or causing, or permitting a discharge of a contaminant into the natural environment that caused or was likely to have caused an adverse effect, contrary to the Environmental Protection Act.
Jordan described it as “one of our most serious charges.”
It’s alleged the flare liquids, which are similar to gasoline, caused adverse impacts, including odours, irritation and illness to numerous residents of the neighbouring Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Jordan said.
The case is scheduled to be in Sarnia court Feb. 13.
Big Oil’s Dilemma: Save or Borrow?
From an article by Justin Scheck published 7 Jan 2015 by Dow Jones Newswires under the headline:
“Oil Firms’ New Dilemma: Save, or Borrow More?
Extracts
For years, big oil companies have been spending more money than they bring in. With oil prices having more than halved since last June, that is becoming an ever trickier way to run their businesses.
Now, companies like Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell PLC and BP PLC must decide whether to risk future earnings by cutting developments, risk upsetting investors by cutting dividends, or take on big debt in the hope that oil prices will soon recover.
Shell Chief Executive Ben van Beurden has said in recent months that last year’s capital spending would be lower than 2013’s. A spokesman said the company has enough borrowing capacity to maintain dividend and capital spending levels “for a reasonable period of time.”
Shell’s disastrous foray into Arctic waters
From an article by Joel Connelly published 7 Jan 2015 by Seattlepi.com under the headline:
“Will Port of Seattle be repair center for Shell Oil’s Arctic vessels?
Extracts
The Port of Seattle’s Terminal 5 is being proposed as a repair and service center for vessels engaged in Shell Oil’s troubled, delayed program to drill for oil in Arctic waters of the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas off Alaska.
In the summer of 2012, the tug Lauren Foss towed the Shell exploration ship Noble Discoverer away from a beach in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, after its anchor slipped and the 512-foot vessel nearly ran aground.
The contractor operating the Noble Discoverer, Noble Drilling LLC, later pleaded guilty to eight felony counts for violating environmental and safety laws, and paid a $12.2 million fine. The violations were discovered during a U.S. Coast Guard safety inspection.
Shell had a disastrous experience in 2012 and undertook no drilling activity in the summers of 2013 and 2014.
The oil giant spent more than $2 billion to buy offshore leases in the Chukchi Sea and has invested billions in preparing drilling equipment.
In 2012, however, nothing went right. Advancing ice floes forced a halt to drilling. Shell tried to have its big circular drilling ship, the Kulluk, towed back down to the “lower 48″ in the midst of violent December storms in the Gulf of Alaska. The towing operation was in part designed to avoid paying Alaska taxes.
The Kulluk slipped its tow lines, ran aground on New Year’s Eve at Sitkalidak Island near Kodiak Island. It was severely damaged, taken to China and eventually dismantled. “The Wreck of the Kulluk” was the cover story in last Sunday’s New York Times magazine.
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Shell’s Simon Henry says its not difficult to drill in the Arctic Seas
Niger delta communities to sue Shell in London
From an article by John Vidal published by The Guardian on Wed 7 Jan 2015 under the headline:
“Niger delta communities to sue Shell in London for oil spill compensation”
Niger delta communities hit by oil spills will bypass Nigerian courts and try to sue Shell and other oil companies in London following the £55m ($80m) settlement awarded this week to 15,600 people in Bodo, say community chiefs and non-government groups. Martyn Day, head of Leigh Day law firm which represented the Bodo community, says that the doors to suing Shell in London were now open…
The TRUTH will set you FREE.
