Achuar Take on Peruvian Government Over Pollution

November 22, 2006By Andy RowellBlog Post

A rare victory for people power. The Guardian has reported how the Achuar Indians from the Amazon have managed to get the Peruvian government to take notice of their plight. For decades they had been saying that their land had been heavily polluted and their waters poisoned by oil exploration, but they had been consistently … Read More

Nigeria: 1.5 Million Tons of Oil Spilt in 50 Years

October 26, 2006By Andy RowellBlog Post

Here is the official news: Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell has driven the FTSE London market to a new five-and-a-half year high, as shares in the company lifted 3 per cent after its third quarter figures came in better than expected, despite a 34 per cent fall in net earnigs. The decline in profits was … Read More

BP and Shell: $50 billion of Damage

October 23, 2006By Andy RowellBlog Post 1 Comment

BP and Shell caused almost $50 billion of environmental and social damage last year – double the amount of profits they made in the past 12 months – according to a report by WWF and the New Economics Foundation. The two groups are urging the British Government to slap an “oil legacy fund” on the … Read More

Oil Industry “Hushing up” Corrosion Crisis

August 25, 2006By Andy RowellBlog Post

The oil industry is “hushing up” the extent to which corrosion is eating into pipelines and hitting production, according to an influential oil industry consultant who is also the head of the UK Royal Society of Chemistry. Richard Pike, who spent 25 years working for BP before becoming a consultant, argues that some of the … Read More

Could BP’s Problems Lead to $300 a Barrel?

August 22, 2006By Andy RowellBlog Post

Matthew Simmons is well known within the industry for his predictions on peak oil. He first shot to prominence by arguing that Saudi Arabia was running out of oil and had inflated its reserves figures. His findings were published in the controversial book, Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World … Read More

BP: Three Congressional Hearings into Prudhoe Bay

August 21, 2006By Andy RowellBlog Post

As well as facing a lawsuit from its shareholders, it has emerged that BP now faces three Congressional hearings into its problems at Prudhoe Bay. Republican Don Young, has scheduled a hearing of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, for Sept. 13.

UN Finally Acts on Lebanese Oil Spill

August 18, 2006By Andy RowellBlog Post

At a conference in Greece yesterday, UN officials finally drew up an action plan to tackle the huge oil spill that is spreading along the Lebanese and Syrian coastline. The 15,000 tonne spill could be the Mediterranean’s worst ever maritime disaster and was caused by Israel’s bombing of a Lebanese power station. The officials believe … Read More

BP Spins Alaska Story

August 14, 2006By Andy RowellBlog Post

Public relations trade magazine, PR Week has reported that BP has “more than doubled the number of external communications people” working in its Anchorage office due to its current problems in Alaska. According to PR Week, “the company’s image is taking a battering because advocacy groups are wondering how such an ‘eco-friendly’ company let something … Read More

BP: Only Itself to Blame For Alaskan Fiasco

August 14, 2006By Andy RowellBlog Post

I am back from holiday, so lets go straight back to BP. The news that BP had to shut over half of its vast Prudhoe Bay operations because of pipeline corrosion has made headlines across the globe. It has also sent the price of oil nearly $2 dollars a barrel upwards. As BP apologized for … Read More