Court Okays Approval of Shell Drilling Plan

Source: Anchorage Daily News

A federal appeals court Thursday removed a legal challenge standing in the way of Shell Oil’s plans to drill exploratory wells off Alaska’s shore this summer.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a case that challenged federal approval of Shell’s exploratory drilling plans in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas.

The expedited ruling followed oral arguments last week in Portland, Ore.

The court determined that the federal Minerals Management Service met its obligations to consider the potential threat to wildlife and the risk for disaster before it approved Shell’s Arctic Ocean project.

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The case merged three lawsuits brought by environmentalists and Native Alaskan groups challenging the Minerals Management Service’s environmental review of Shell’s exploratory drilling plan.

The concerns included drilling’s effect on endangered bowhead whales, such as a possible interruption of feeding patterns, and whether Shell had made adequate plans to deal with an emergency, such as a major spill.




Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/05/13/1276651/court-oks-approval-of-drilling.html

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Imagine an accident in the most remote part of Alaska under winter sea ice. And yet "Shell’s Chukchi exploration plan concluded that a large oil spill, such as a release from a blowout, would be rare. MMS agreed and said the probability of a large spill during exploration was “insignificant.”

Yeah, right...

The nation is afraid of energy shortages, and fear produces poor decisions.

We're sending the children of the poor to fight and die protecting access to Middle East oil.

We're establishing increased military presence in Columbia and Guam, not coincidentally near major sources of oil.

Even in the face of a human-caused environmental catastrophe, whose scope and magnitude have barely been realized, we're approving offshore oil exploration and production in locations where even the half-assed spill response currently taking place in the Gulf of Mexico isn't possible.

Easy oil is becoming scarce. We're about to enter a period where we will be fighting wars and willingly harming the environment just to keep our energy-driven economy going.

It isn't necessary; it's going to be painful; our children, their children and their children's children will curse us. But it is going to happen because we lack the courage, foresight, and organization to do otherwise.

Spot on.

that "not one drop" of oil would ever spill in Prince William Sound? We know how well that worked out.

an increase in the liability for oil spill related damages from $75 million to $10 billion.

I guess we should have known that she would totally sell out, knowing who her daddy is. Someone at The Mudflats called her "Lease A Murkowski." Perfect.

Were you listening to Shannyn Moore today? She was ripping Lisa a new one.

Called Murkowski and "oil whore."

at the Gulf of Mexico? Just in case... :sarcasm:

NOTE the wording that is used
probability of a large spill during exploration was “insignificant.”

And indeed I'm sure they would be.

Nuclear plant accidents are rare too.

So are lethal pandemics.

And extinction events.

All rare.

As rare as integrity and generosity within the petroleum industry.

Source: Huffington Post

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A federal appeals court Thursday removed a legal challenge standing in the way of Shell Oil's plans to drill wells off Alaska's shore this summer.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a case that challenged federal approval of Shell's exploratory drilling plans in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas.

The expedited ruling followed oral arguments last week in Portland, Ore.

The court determined that the federal Minerals Management Service met its obligations to consider the potential threat to wildlife and the risk for disaster before it approved Shell's Arctic Ocean project.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/13/shell-arctic-drilling-pla_n_575559.html

all losses.

IMO congress should pass laws forcing stock holders to pay from their personal wealth all losses from such ventures.

Lloyd's of London once used that policy and many wealthy "Names" lost everything when high-risk ventures failed.