| July 23, 2015
Royal Dutch Shell was granted federal permits yesterday that clear the way for the oil company to begin drilling in the Arctic Ocean. The U.S. Department of the Interior granted the permits for Shell to drill off the coast of Alaska in the Chukchi Sea.
The company is only permitted to drill the top sections of its wells because it lacks the equipment to cap the wells in case of emergency. The ice breaker carrying the required capping stack for the wells, is receiving repairs to its damaged hull in Portland, Oregon. The permits also restricts Shell to drilling only one well at a time, due to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife regulation.
This announcement comes on the heels of a nationwide protest last weekend where people in 13 states gathered for a “ShellNo” Day of Action asking President Obama to revoke oil and gas exploration leases in the Chukchi Sea.
Many environmental organizations are irate over the granting of the final permit to Shell. Here are several of their responses:
Greenpeace:
“This approval for Shell to drill in Alaska from the Obama administration is just the latest in a string of concessions for Shell, a company that cannot even make it to the Alaskan Arctic without significantly damaging its equipment,” said Tim Donaghy, Greenpeace senior research specialist. “By opening up the Arctic to oil drilling, President Obama is courting disaster and undermining his legacy on climate change. The world cannot afford to burn Arctic oil, and the consequences of a spill would be enormous.”
Exposing the Big Game 
The company is only permitted to drill the top sections of its wells because it lacks the equipment to cap the wells in case of emergency. The ice breaker carrying the required capping stack for the wells, is receiving repairs to its damaged hull in Portland, Oregon. The permits also restricts Shell to drilling only one well at a time, due to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife regulation.
Legacy on climate change? Whaaaaat? This administration will leave an environmental legacy all right, but it won’t be a good one – despoiled environment and extinction.
Lacks the equipment to cap the wells in case of an emergency?
Restricted to only drilling one well at a time?
Obama was bought and sold to the banks, oil companies, defense contractors and any other Destroyers of Planet Earth. He never really promised anybody anything–but something called “Hope and Change,” but most people I guess read more into this than some of us. There is no one to vote for anymore–maybe there never was.
Obama is very disappointing regarding his permit to give Shell drilling auth and is a continuation of the Bush legacy. This has to be because Exxon is partnering with Vlady Putin and politics as usual. The icebreakers broke down and oil is heading south — why is this even considered??? This is a star-crossed enterprise.