A coalition of civil society groups have called for the immediate cancellation of a massive oil and gas auction in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) following news of a secret deal between Oil Minister Didier Budimbu, Nigerian gambling tycoon Chukwuma Ayodeji Ojuroye, and US consultancy GeoSigmoid.
Corruption
Tillerson at State Boosts Exxon Immeasurably
When sanctions were placed on Russia, Exxon left behind the potential to produce billions of barrels of oil. Secretary of State appointee Rex Tillerson could be in a position to secure that prize for Exxon.
What did Big Oil know and when did they know it?
According to multiple sources the State Department will issue its long awaited Final Environmental Impact Statement on the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline later today. The early spin today is that “environmentalists will be disappointed”. But consider the source. Last week, Jack Gerard, the head of the American Petroleum Institute, told Reuters that “It’s our … Read More
Is the Senate Energy Committee being handed to Big Oil?
A game of political musical chairs has set off a transition that will hand Big Oil the keys to the influential Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. What’s worse, the whole thing could have been avoided.
Rigging the Gas Game
The big energy companies are rigging the market to make excessive profits, if the claims of a key whistleblower are to be believed
Extraction and Disclosure
This is a guest post from Phil Mattera, over at the always vital Dirt Digger’s Digest: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission often behaves like a watchdog with no teeth, but it has just stood up to intense pressure from big business and finally approved two rules that will shine a light on dealings between … Read More
Nigeria Loses $1 Billion a Month in Oil Theft
Reports coming out of Nigeria this morning are that the country’s President Goodluck Jonathan has sacked senior oil officials from the state oil company NNPC in the interests of “greater transparency and accountability.” Jonathan has come under intense pressure to clean up the country’s oil industry. We have known for a while that theft and … Read More
How to buy a pipeline? Buy Congress.
As thousands gather around the White House tomorrow to urge President Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline, let’s take a minute to look at some of the ways the project has garnered political support so far. Because in the end this is a political decision. A yes indicates support for Big Oil and the … Read More
Was Ugandan Oil Deal “Corrupt”?
Tullow Oil is “approaching the finishing line” in talks with the Ugandan government to resolve a tax dispute that has held up plans to bring in new partners to exploit its oil reserves there. Tullow expects to reach an agreement to sell a share of its Uganda assets to Total SA and China National Offshore … Read More
Saro-Wiwa Was Framed, New Evidence Shows
Fifteen years after the execution of Nigerian playwright and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, new compelling evidence has surfaced that suggests that the Nigerian military killed the four Ogoni elders that Saro-Wiwa was later accused of murdering. The new evidence also reveals that the soldier’s commander, the notorious Lt Col Okuntimo, who was implicated in murder and … Read More