SIERRA CLUB RESPONDS TO SHELL RECEIVING FINAL ARCTIC DRILLING PERMITS
The Accident-Prone Company May Now Begin Drilling For Oil
Jonathon Berman
Today, the Obama administration granted Shell the final permits required to begin drilling for oil in the Arctic’s Chukchi Sea.
While Shell had received conditional approval to drill in the Arctic last month, it was barred from hitting oil and gas bearing zones, until the capping stack, a device used to stop oil spills such as the Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010 that spilled 210 million gallons of oil, arrived. The capping stack was aboard the icebreaker Fennica, which had to be sent to Portland, OR for repairs after sustaining a three foot gash in its side.
The return of the Fennica was delayed for nearly two days as activists suspended from Portland’s St Johns Bridge, kayaktivists in the water, and protesters on land prevented the icebreaker from being able to leave. This event was one of several dozen that have taken place around the country, as hundreds of thousands of activists have taken action and demanded that the President stop Shell from drilling in the Arctic.
This year, President Obama has the opportunity to re-evaluate Shell’s existing leases and consider its scheduled future leases. Furthermore, the administration is finalizing the next five year plan, in which the President has the power to exclude all drilling in the Arctic Ocean.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
“President Obama’s decision to grant Shell the final drilling permits goes against science, the will of the people, and common sense.
“We are witnessing a growing movement against drilling in the Arctic Ocean. There’s a 75-percent chance of a major oil spill if Shell drills in the Arctic, and a 100-percent chance of further climate disruption. That’s why hundreds of thousands of Americans have stood-up and said ‘Shell No’ to drilling in the Arctic.
“To preserve his climate legacy, President Obama must change the course on Arctic drilling set eight years ago by former President George W. Bush, and not perpetuate it. The President should cancel the lease sales scheduled for 2016 and 2017 and remove the possibility of drilling in the Arctic Ocean leases from all energy plans going forward.
“Granting Shell the permit to drill in the Arctic was the wrong decision, and this fight is far from over. The people will continue to call on President Obama to protect the Arctic and our environment.”
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