Drilling proposals foreshadow larger struggle over Arctic
(Trip Van Noppen is President of Earthjustice)
Shell Oil’s Arctic drilling plans are premised on a growing legacy of broken promises regarding the company’s ability to protect the fragile Arctic from drilling impacts. And, as in the past, Shell is again asking the federal government to be lenient, accept more empty promises, and let the drilling begin.
This isn’t surprising. It’s a trend we’ve experienced during the last five years of successful legal and public advocacy efforts aimed at keeping Shell out of the Arctic until it proves that it can drill without grievously wounding this magnificent ecosystem.
The latest Shell failure happened a few days ago when Shell announced that one of its two main drilling ships – already in Alaska – couldn’t meet the standards in its air permit from the Environmental Protection Agency. Meanwhile, Shell also is reneging on its commitments to meet Coast Guard standards for its oil spill containment barge. Shell expects the EPA and the Coast Guard to ignore the problems, so Shell can drill this summer.
No matter what the EPA and the Coast Guard decide, Shell hasn’t convinced us it is ready to drill safely in the Arctic Ocean.
Despite many years of promises and assurances, the oil industry remains woefully unprepared to adequately respond to a major oil spill caused by exploration drilling. The nearest Coast Guard station is more than 1,000 miles away. The infrastructure to clean up an oil spill doesn’t exist. And government scientists admit that we have much to learn about the basic ecology of the region as well as the impacts that oil drilling will have on the Arctic environment.
So far, these concerns have largely fallen on deaf ears in the Obama administration, which seems content to rely on the hope that no spills occur on its watch. The administration appears to be on track to allow some exploration drilling to proceed this year, despite Shell’s broken promises.
So until the Obama administration enforces our laws and protects the Arctic, we turn to the courts.
Our work dates back to the early 1970s when Congress was pushing through legislation enabling construction of the trans-Alaska pipeline. Two decades ago, Earthjustice helped keep oil drillers out of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, an effort that has succeeded to this day. And when the Bush/Cheney administration turned its sights on developing oil in the environmentally sensitive and wildlife-rich area known as the National Petroleum Reserve, Earthjustice succeeded in getting key habitat like Teshekpuk Lake put off limits.
And for many years, Earthjustice and our allies also have kept the oil industry from drilling in the Arctic’s fragile offshore waters. We are in court right now, challenging air quality permits issued to Shell and many of the oil leases the government has issued in the Arctic Ocean. Last week, we continued this decades-long fight by challenging Shell’s inadequate oil spill preparedness plan for the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Despite the lessons that the Obama administration and oil industry claim to have learned from the Gulf oil spill—a mere two years ago—the government has failed to ensure that the oil company is prepared to confront the harsh realities of cleaning up an oil spill in the Arctic.
Since 2000, there have been zero tests of spill response equipment in U.S. Arctic waters. And the tests that were completed before 2000 were deemed a “failure.” Today, Shell relies on much of that same equipment to remove oil from the water, but bases its plans for nearshore and coastline cleanup on the assumption that it will recover more than 90 percent of any spilled oil. Even in relatively favorable conditions, less than 10 percent of spilled oil was recovered using booms and skimmers after the Deepwater Horizon and Exxon Valdez spills. In the Arctic, sea ice, harsh weather, high seas, darkness and wind may render even that level of cleanup impossible.
Ultimately, our focus needs to be broader than one company as nations, including ours, prepare to extract the Arctic’s energy resources. In fact, other companies have already submitted their own plans to drill in America’s Arctic Ocean. Longer term, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has made clear that the Obama administration plans to lease more of the Arctic Ocean to oil companies.
So, even if government watchdogs ignore Shell’s pattern of broken promises and allow it to move forward on Arctic drilling, the battlelines are being drawn for an even larger fight over one of the world’s last wild places.
**Learn more about how record-breaking ice melt in the Arctic is affecting low-lying communities like the Palmyra Atoll in May's Down to Earth podcast: On Thin Ice.
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I don`t own a car but would be supportive of a world that was sustainable without natural gas and big oil money raping our earth.
Stopping/cleaning a spill in the Arctic is impossible.
Just plain flat NO.
Keep drilling out of the Arctic! Please keep huge greedy corporations far far away.
We cannot afford to allow Shell Oil to drill in the Arctic. We need to take the Arctic region back, and do it now! Drilling in the Arctic is totally unacceptable to me, my family and to everybody. I demand that Shell Oil cancel their plans to drill in that region, immediately. They have their nerve to destroy the Arctic.
I agree completely that we are living on the edge and may have even fallen off. Mankind's insults to the earth are seriously compromising our future. It may be too late even now, but immediately we need to save the places we can and put all ou efforts into changing the status quo. Need to Stop Shell Arctic drilling NOW.
agree the artic seas needs to be kept away from all oil, gas and mineral exploitation.
far easier to prevent damage by banning these activies than it is to clean up afterward.
when will we ever learn!
Allowing Shell to drill in the Arctic, with thier miserable record, will be a sham. The big issue that politicians are afraid of is climate change. If the Canadian tar sands project goes through, it will produce more carbon dioxide in the environment than all fosssil fuels combined have produced so far. As expert climate scientist Dr. James Hansen recently stated, it will be "Game over for the climate." Our children and their children will have some terrible issues to deal with. A legacy left to them because the world's "leaders" lacked the backbone to deal with the issue.
In my opinion there should be no drilling in the Arctic at all. We know they cant clean up, they don't even care about the environment....only the money....and even the drilling sends horrible noise great distances in the ocean..how would you like to live with constant booming, hammering, in your home environment? I think government will never help the environment or deny Shell and others. Perhaps we need more of a Captain Watson Sea Shepherd approach with ships that deny them access to any drilling, as the Sea Shepherd crews get in the way of the whalers boats so they can't load whales so therefore don't kill them...just an example. I think we should spend money on preparing to do this, peacefully but with no giving in to them.
President Jefferson stated;Every country should hsve a revolution every 50 yrs.This country was created by the rich landowners,because they dint want to pay for the tremendous expenses of the Indian War,subsides by the the king.the same way,that we,the collar workers of America,are paying the 2WW,korea,VN.Iran & Afghanistan,while the gun manufacturers,make money ,get tax reductions,etc.look a the Bhramans families in this country,the Rockefellers,Bush,Birds,Kennedies,please how long are we stay stupid.The greater weapons that we have is the VOTE,pETITION AND PEACEFUL DEMOSTRATIONS.The olf politician play the stock market,with iside information while in the senate,they dont need the brownback with few dollars,like in LatinAmerica,they made millionswith that,plus becoming CEO,of the Oil Co,Drug Co.AMA,etcWhy dit you think that a aspirins cost 20.00 at the hospita,,pay by MediCal or MediCare.You are listening to the Ads on TV,watching Monday night football,and buying the extra TV,that you dont need,instead of looking at what the politician vote at 11PM,the last day of the season.Thit you thing that this people invented this system,the Roman,gave bread and wine below cost to the romans,plus Circus,while waging ward on the Europeans.until thet become so weak,that the barbarian crossed the border,to rape pillage and burn.remenber,history repeat itself.
Instead of focusing on reducing the impacts that carbon-based fuels, (coal, oil and natural gas), we continue to engage the old, discredited, short-sighted approaches to energy production. We must change attitudes, sacrifice certain conveniences and make major changes in behaviors, which keep these approaches going. We need a direct carbon tax, for example, instead of this "cap-and-trade" nonsense. Carbon-based fuels must become much more costly so as to reveal the true costs their exploitation has on the environment, as well as the long-term consequences imposed on all of human society by their continued economic affordability. We need real alternatives supported by the public and government.
Instead of focusing on reducing the impacts that carbon-based fuels, (coal, oil and natural gas), we continue to engage the old, discredited, short-sighted approaches to energy production. We must change attitudes, sacrifice certain conveniences and make major changes in behaviors, which keep these approaches going. We need a direct carbon tax, for example, instead of this "cap-and-trade" nonsense. Carbon-based fuels must become much more costly so as to reveal the true costs their exploitation has on the environment, as well as the long-term consequences imposed on all of human society by their continued economic affordability. We need real alternatives supported by the public and government.
Lies and promise anything to get that greedy agenda accomplished. The Hell with our kids, our grandkids and the other precious creatures that inhabit the earth. We are being plundered to fatten offshore bank accounts fr those who could not care less about what they are doing to out country. When will we wake up and smell the coffee and stand up for ourselves. We have allowed ourselves to be victims to greedy individuals who get their money by walking on our backs because we ignore it. We all know this is wrong but we all need to grow a spine and stand up for what is right instead of giving up or waiting for someone else to take care of it. If yo all love this country as many proclaim they do , then it is time to stand up and fight to save it. Look at the BP Fiasco, limited liability and still no real ccountability as far as requireing proof that this will happen again. Instead they are counting on the fact that with time we will fall back into that stupor that says it is over with so we don't have to worry about it now cause someone else took care of it. But no one else did,full accountability is still not there. Verified and proved accountability that taking steps to insure nothing like this will happen again in real time are still misssing. And now they want to step in and endanger our Artic Treasures. When do we say enough is enough and this is a firm NO< NO< NO< NO. This will not happen again. If the Politician we have now cannot stand up for us we need to get some new ones and we need to stand up for ourselves. It is a matter of putting you strength and you effort where your mouth is. Instead of saying how much you care, show it!
There is nothing left to say after reading all the comments, it seems we are all on the same page....so why do they rule!!! We may just need a revolution for the earth, the United Nations was supposed to speak for the people of this earth in a just and fair way, and it is composed of people who can not see past their own agendas. How sad is this legacy to leave for future generations. I am a teacher and I always read Chief Seattle's letter to the American president about selling native american lands. This is where it all began in our country and others too. The natives of all countries respected their lands.
Civilization will eat itself, and the oil bastards will take us with it. since the court made them a PERSON in citizens united case, i think they are the Antichrist and deserve oblivion, ie at leas t to be dissolved and the case reversed. At minumum, full disclosure of their buying of the elections. Shell oil is tyranny.
Im so glad EarthJustice is doing something about this, and trying to stop Shell, its painfullt obvious that our government just doesnt care about facts, science or anything other than the almighty dollar! Thanks for watching over the planet EarthJustice!!! This is why i support and love you!!!
Greed is pushing Big Oil.
We need to switch to Wind and Solar energy.
Transportation needs to switch as well.
Abuse of the earth is destroying her and our future.
Obama is wrong about his "balanced" approach to energy. He has to be made to see that the only thing balanced about it is that it is in his mind a balanced political approach. It has nothing to do with the environment and as policy is based on amnesia.
It is "let us forget and somehow accept that these problems of oil spills and environmental degradation are horrible and unacceptable" as a basis for action and that is a sickening travesty on us all by the environmental candidate.
An uh, oh; Ken Salazar must go!
It is time that all of us belonging to organizations like Greenpeace, Sierra Club, Earthjustice, Friends of the Earth etc. join hands. We are splintering our voices and wasting our resources. The Anti Nuclear groups have now joined together. We can too. It will take the combined voices of all of us to have an impact.
Dorli Rainey
An Empty Promise is the beginning of Destruction, without a solution to the damages as results .
Why drill in a place that is in need of rescue .So many places on Earth and it has to be in that you can say Sanctuary for the Arctic animals . Doesn't the damage done already put in their mind is time to let go of Drilling in the Arctic land and sea.If anything happens to anyone any place that is around or makes a drastic or destructive impact in Arctic or the damage expands long and wide the Shell oil should be responsible ,pay damages and the destruction in every area that has affected by consequences of their drilling actions without ,the concern of the lost of the Arctic land animals and possibly everything their even the people who are been force to accept this drilling .Shell leave the Arctic out of your Agenda.You know that if anything happens there it will spread long and wide and will stay for years and years ,you can move anywhere in the world but , those who can not will receive you dirty deed without a solution to clean your oily and greasy act.Millions of dollars that are important to you can never pay what you are about to destroy.
A place that should never be touch , This Arctic was made by God and it had and has a purpose to be there.Stop removing the reasons that earth was made and make some sense of it . (WHY THE ARCTIC IS THERE?) (PLAIN AND SIMPLE) To Valance The Heat of the sun around the World .Stop forcing drilling without studying why the earth has what it has and the consequences of anyone destroying or affecting this Wonderful Green Ball , of life . In the beginning people use no heat I think today because of whats happening with the actions of man we don't need that much oil . The winters is becoming less as the years are passing. We have to learn to cope with earth more and less with destruction of our lands and oceans. NO DRILLING IN THE ARCTIC. Maria Celia Hernandez 7-15-2012
No to drilling in the waters of the Arctic ever. It is a disaster waiting to happen. Let it be for once & do the right thing.
A NOAA< DEQ< EPA< Obama
We expected a lot of good environmental results when
Obama was elected in 2008.Tell me what good you have done. Instead
you've allowed cracking rules to remain so they will
allow toxics to enter the ground water, threatening drinking supplies for decades maybe forever, opened the arctic naval reserve
to oil drilling, loosened air quality regs. Maybe you can do one thing we environmentalists want..STOP, BAN ALL OFF SHORE OIL/GAS DRILLING OFF ALASKA.
tO BAD THERE ISN'T A TRUE, HONEST ENVIRONMENTALIST RUNNING FOR THE PRESIDENCY. Eric Goranson, Portland, OR
I have come to the conclusion that oil is pure evil because it brings death and destruction, pollution and filth, stink and foul everwhere it goes. How long before we put an end to the corporate greed of oil. Time to move on to cleaner and sweeter smelling, non toxic, non polluting, non letal sources of energy. Solar, electric (powered by solar), biofuels (powered by algea), wind turbines, ocean currents...etcetra, etcetra, etcetra...
We as a coiuntry must continue the fight to STOP our dependence on oil. There ae so many alternatives to choos from; there is no excust to continue filling our cars with gasoline. Don't let the oil companies continue to run this country. Our children and grandchildren deserve better!
These ppl will continue drilling till WE are demanding oil . ! Every coin has 2 sides so we must not ignore our faulty stake in this bid . ! we demand so they suppy .. Although , Shell is trying to evade its environmental responsibility which will serve it bad times very soon.
Its time to stop the hand wringing , whining, and begging corporate owned politicians and an EPA that in some way cowtows to the Oil Industries' demands !! Do we need to follow the methods that hits Shell where it hurts the most, in their profits...boycott ! With the internet, boycott has become more of a viable tool to influence.
This is nothing new, it just exponentially gets worse while dangers grow more imminent.
All the greedtards in govt and big biz will spiral out of control at an increasing rate of destruction, taking us all along for the ride, passing out dreams of hummers and ipods along the way to sate the sheeple's narrow minds.
According to Qwatsinas from the Nuxalt Nation:
We must protect the forest {and that applies to all of nature} for our children, grandchildren and the children yet to be born. We must protect the forest for those who can't speak for themselves such as the birds,animals, fish and trees......
We're definitely all on the same page here.............The Arctic is already in serious trouble.....ice is melting..polar bears are starving......NO, SHELL......you cannot drill!!!!!!! and yes as another commmentor mentioned....EXXON Valdez mess is still there!!!!!!! It will probably never "go away"......President Obama must also stop handing out permits for drilling......
Big oil companies could care less what they destroy all they care about is money and buying off our government officials to side with them. Drilling in the Arctic is a major disaster waiting to happen. If the EPA allows this to happen then my opinion is Shell paid them big money to get the approval to do so. It is dangerous of the ice shelf shifting it will kill off numerous sea animals with oil spills and just the noise under water will harm our wild life. SO PLEASE VOTE NO ON THIS ISSUE SHELL HAS ENOUGH MONEY BUT I DON'T SEE IT PASSED DOWN TO US AT THE PUMPS DO YOU. They reported record profits last year what does that tell you.
Sandy Barnett ( aka Cherokee Spirit Wolf)
Bottom line: as long as we are transforming fossil fuels into greenhouse gasses, we are hell-bent on the road to oblivion. We KNOW better...but that is NO guarantee that we will actually act on our knowledge. Our specie's name, homo sapiens (meaning "wise") is tragically ill-earned in terms of how we treat the Earth, our very precious and only Home.
The Human Experiment on Planet Earth has now reached a very clear tipping point. The only question which remains is this: will our desire for life outweigh our desire for oil?
I just read all the comments for July 15th. I agree with every one of them. Don't these
greedy "elites" have children or grandchildren? I guess power and money surpass
everything and everyone.
This will never change! Think about it- as long as we have a government hell bent on perpetual war, they need fossil fuels to power all those airplanes, ships, tanks, humvees, etc. That is why the oil companies can get away with murder, and why there will never be an end to drilling, until we are all dead!
Unfortunately, I believe you are right. This is why fighting the fossil fuel industry is not enough; we must all work for peace.
Nobody is prepared for a potential oil disaster that could happen one day in the Arctic. Please get the drilling off the table before it ever happens.
The world must stop drilling or we won't have a world for anyone or anything to live in. We need to focus efforts on restoration of what we have ruined already.
Torrefaction & Clean Burning Coal is the answer
NOT MORE OIL SPILLS!!! BP Shell must be stopped!
This is Bullshit & Shell has done enough damage!!!
No, clean coal is an oxymoron. It still emits carbon pollution.
What is needed is more investment in renewable energy.
No, clean coal is an oxymoron. It still emits carbon pollution.
What is needed is more investment in renewable energy.
Big corporations, especially the oil companies have a long had what can best be called a "dirty tricks" department that works just like organized crime in terms of blackmail and extortion.
Just like the lobbyists whose job it is to spin their dirty business into sweetness and light, the dirty tricks people target government employees, politicians or their staffs who have some role in regulating their business. For example, Mobil had a guy in Washington who frequented the Capitol Hill Club who could/would procure girls, guys, sexual favors in whatever the flavor the mark was into. Depending on how illegal or unethical the favor (sex, sports tickets, vacations, pay for your kid's school ...), if the target accepted, they "owned" you forever. OTOH if you aren't interested, they will try to dig up some dirt on you to use it against you.
BP Shell must be stopped & fined Billions more
for the Gulf Oil Spill & the 1 in Montana! Even if they wash every
Living Bird, Fish & Mammal they don't use Doulble Hulled Ships
& SHOULD NOT be allowed to drill until they comply with
EPA Standards! Thank God for your Organization & if
Mr. Eliscu had it His wax they would NEVER be able to drill
until they pay WAY MORE in Fines & comply!!!
Sincerely,
Team Eliscu
This is a no brainer. Drilling will only cause us to fry a lot faster than we already are. Why don't you put your energies towards renewables and being a better steward of the planet. Face it, fossil fuels are harmful to every life form on this beautiful planet. Do you not have children, grandchildren? What about their future? Think! Thank you!
Leave the arctic alone. Humans have damage earth enough. Don't these companies and our government realize that when they destroy these areas they are destroying our very existence with them? When will enough be enough? When we are all dead? This is a real sad state of affairs. STOP THIS NONSENSE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nothing about old school fossil fuels is sustainble except the misery of environmental destruction and health effects.
Not only have they forgotten the tragedy in the Gulf, they have forgotten the Exxon Valdez!!! Oil is still being found in Prince William Sound over 20 years later!!!! The Arctic should be protected forever!!
Not only ALL of that but their drilling ship almost ran aground just in the last couple of days because they couldn't be bothered to have the right kind of anchorage equipment for the sea bottom conditions there. That right there tells me there is an almost 100% chance of a devastating accident just waiting to happen once they do began to drill.
What does it take to make political admins-- those people with children AND grandchildren to understand the non-reversible damages oil spills have caused? To this end, no party is above "profits!"
I never ceases to amaze me how many forget the Gulf spill. Like said above it's not a question of if there is a spill but when. Right now there hundreds of rigs out in the gulf and both Pacific, and Atlantic oceans that will have a spill at some point as they wer'e put in by the same people who made the gulf rig. And we all know big oil will always risk lives and enviorment to make an easy buck. The Republicans especially are in bed with big oil (the democrats also) who profess to be follower's of God but completely ignore our responsabilty towards the earth. I don't think spewing oil all over the world is good stewardship, and it sure can't be good for alot of the creatures involved. "One earth, One chance, your choice"!
Your comment said it well. It still amazes me that there is this blindness to the long term effects of drilling for oil. What about the emergency scenarios with no procedure for rapid containment and cleanup. When will this stop? The profits are temporary and only fill the pockets of a few. Oil , gas , coal, it is all but over. It is time to stop tearing up our earth.
when you drill you kill sea creatures and children too
fracking will kill me
it will kill you
Due to the continuing collapse of OUR environment, we are walking right into the apocolypse. This will include everyone, including the notorious decision makers.
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