Shell Wants Five More Years to Carry Out Arctic Plunder
Published on Tuesday, October 28, 2014 by
Common Dreams
Shell Wants Five More Years to Carry Out Arctic Plunder
Oil giant asked Interior Department 'to skirt rules,' get more time after it spent fruitless $6 billion
by Andrea Germanos, staff writer
Shell has urged the Obama administration to give it five more years to fulfill its quest for Arctic oil, citing the $6 billion the oil giant has already invested in the effort and circumstances it said were beyond its control.
Shell made the request in a letter (pdf) dated July 2014 and made public Monday by ocean conservation group Oceana.
Peter Slaiby, Vice President of Shell Alaska, writes in the letter to the Interior Department's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSSE) that "despite Shell's best efforts and demonstrated diligence, circumstances beyond Shell's control have prevented, and are continuing to prevent, Shell from completing even the first exploration well" in either of its Chukchi or Beaufort Sea lease holdings.
"Circumstances Shell could not have anticipated at the time it acquired its leases significantly impede Shell's utilization of its lease rights to proceed with exploration and development of its Alaska leases before they are due to expire."
Among the unanticipated circumstances Shell cites are lack of regulatory-compliant and Arctic-ready rigs, shortened operating windows, legal challenges, and the need to accomodate Native community whaling activities.
Developing the area's reserves "is plainly in the national interest," Shell's letter states.
More:
http://commondreams.org/news/2014/10/28/shell-wants-five-more-years-carry-out-arctic-plunder