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Showing posts with label offshore drilling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label offshore drilling. Show all posts

Breaking News - Russian Duma to Free the Arctic 30

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On December 18, exactly three months after their arrest, the Russian Duma voted to release 28 Greenpeace activists and two freelance journalists known as the Arctic 30. After their boat the Arctic Sunrise was stormed by Russian special forces the Arctic 30 spent months in jail for a peaceful protest against a Gazprom oil rig. It is not know what will happen to the Arctic Sunrise, currently impounded in Murmansk. The amnesty applies to thousands of prisoners and it does not amount to an admission of guilt but it does signal an end to legal proceedings.

Upon hearing news of their release, Peter Willcox the Captain of the Arctic Sunrise said, “There is no amnesty for the Arctic.”


First charged with piracy and then the lesser charge of hooliganism, Greenpeace reports that the Arctic 30 are scheduled for released after a final vote in the Duma that took place at 4 pm today Moscow time (7 am EST). The 26 non-Russians will still need to be given given exit visas by the Russian authorities before they can leave the country.

One of the captives, Ana Paula Maciel from Brazil said:
“I’m relieved, but I’m not celebrating. I spent two months in jail for a crime I didn’t commit and faced criminal charges that were nothing less than absurd. But now at last it seems like this saga could soon be over and it may not be long before we’re back with our families. Right now my thoughts are with our Russian colleagues. If they accept this amnesty they will have criminal records in the country where they live, and all for something they didn’t do. All because we stood up for Arctic protection.”
Peter Willcox said:
“I might soon be going home to my family, but I should never have been charged and jailed in the first place. We sailed north to bear witness to a profound environmental threat but our ship was stormed by masked men wielding knives and guns. Now it’s nearly over and we may soon be truly free, but there’s no amnesty for the Arctic. We may soon be home, but the Arctic remains a fragile global treasure under assault by oil companies and the rising temperatures they’re driving. We went there to protest against this madness. We were never the criminals here.”
The declaration of Amnesty by the Russian Duma was helped by an international outcry that saw 860 protests in 46 countries and in more than 150 cities worldwide. More than 2.6 million people wrote to Russian embassies.

Political support was offered by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, Angela Merkel, David Cameron, François Hollande, Ban Ki-moon and Hillary Clinton. Twelve Nobel Peace Prize winners called for their release, including Desmond Tutu, Aung San Suu Kyi and Lech Walesa.

It is heartening to note that this outpouring of global support can make a difference even in a country as corrupt as modern day Russia.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Video - Russian Special Forces Assault on The Arctic Sunrise and Arrest of the Crew

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Video of the Oil Rig Belonging to Shell that Ran aground in Alaska

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Shell Oil Rig Runs Aground in Alaska Raising Safety Concerns

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As 2012 drew to a close we were given yet another reason to be weary of fossil fuels. On December 31st an offshore oil drilling rig belonging to Shell ran aground in the Gulf of Alaska after it broke free from tow ships in rough seas (see video). The rig called the Kulluk is carrying more than 140,000 gallons of diesel fuel and 12,000 gallons of lubricating oil and hydraulic fluid.

The US Coast Guard managed to rescue the 17 crew members on board the Kulluk. Alaska's wildlife, including a quarter million birds are being threatened by the rogue oil rig.

Spills in Alaska are potentially far more destructive due to the diverse array of wildlife they impact. Additionally the remoteness of Alaska compounds the already difficult task of managing a spill.

On March 24, 1989 in Prince William Sound, Alaska, an oil tanker named Exxon Valdez spilled between 260,000 to 750,000 barrels of oil. The Valdez spill is second only to the Deepwater Horizon a well owned by BP in the Gulf of Mexico. This environmental disaster killed 11 men and spewed crude for three months in 2010. A total of 4.9 million barrels of oil poured into the Gulf making it the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.

BP's ecological infamy is not reserved to the Gulf of Mexico, the company has a long history of oil spills at its Alaskan pipeline. In July 2011, a BP oil pipeline at its Lisburne field ruptured during testing and spilled a mixture of methanol and oily water onto the tundra. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said the spill amounted to 2,100 to 4,200 gallons.

In a more recent example of the risks associated with oil in the state, a Spanish drilling company suffered a blowout at its well on Alaska’s North Slope in February 2012.

Sadly, these events are not anamalous. As reviewed by a 2010 National Wildlife Federation report oil disasters are tragically common.

Marilyn Heiman, director of the Pew Environment Group’s U.S. Arctic program, said “Given that the Kulluk has run aground, it calls into question our readiness to drill in such a remote and risky region,” Heiman said. “The Obama administration needs to impose Arctic-specific safety, training and spill response standards. Clearly we’re not there yet.”

In his haste to mollify an energy hungry public President Obama is putting the environment at risk. In light of recent accidents and potential impacts to wildlife, oil exploitation is nothing short of irresponsible, particularly in Alaska. While a prohibition on drilling in Alaska would make sense, at the very least resources should be put in place to deal with inevitable spills.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Transocean to Pay $1.4 billion for its Role in the Gulf Oil Spill of 2010

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On January 3, 2013, the Department of Justice announced that it has reached an historic settlement with Transocean for its role in the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The $1.4 billion settlement will be paid under the Clean Water Act for civil and criminal penalties.

Much of these funds will go towards restoring the Gulf, as directed by the RESTORE Act. Gulf restoration and economic development groups lauded the announcement and issued the following statement:

“This is a great day for the Gulf environment and the communities that rely on a healthy ecosystem for their livelihoods,” said Environmental Defense Fund, Greater New Orleans Inc., National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, Oxfam America and Ocean Conservancy. “We thank the Department of Justice for their leadership in holding Transocean accountable and look forward to full resolution of the case with other responsible parties, which will allow restoration efforts in the Gulf to get fully underway.”

“With this settlement, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council finally has some funding to begin implementing a comprehensive plan for ecosystem restoration that will rebuild the environment of the Gulf and the communities that rely upon it.”

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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