The history of Shell in Nigeria is one of contempt for the locals, of systematic and chronic pollution and of a vortex of violence in which thousands have been killed, or tortured. The country remains a grubby stain on Shell’s iconic logo. The company has never apologised for its role in the death of Ken … Read More
oil spills
Canada’s “Pipeline Through Paradise”
One of the biggest problems for proponents of the tar sands (apart from frying the climate and polluting the local rivers and ripping up ancient boreal forests) is getting the dirty oil to hungry markets. The route south from Alberta to America and the refineries of the Gulf coast hinges on the controversial Keystone XL … Read More
“Cowboy” Cairn Gags Greenpeace
One of the many ways in which powerful polluters try to silence their critics is through legal intimidation. And Cairn Energy, which is involved in controversial drilling in the Arctic, is no exception. For months Cairn has been dogged by Greenpeace, which has been campaigning against its Artic operations off Greenland. On Monday about 60 … Read More
Two More Oil Spills…
Just as BP slowly begins to rebuild its tarnished reputation, it has slipped up again. Not in a catastrophic company-threatening way like it did last year but a much smaller spill, this time in Alaska. Although the amount spilt – some 2,100 to 4,200 gallons of fluid – is infinitesimal compared to the Deepwater Horizon, … Read More
Keystone Spill Risk “Flawed”, Argues Expert
Last week, came the news that an Exxon pipeline had ruptured into the beautiful Yellowstone river. This was quickly followed by the revelations that the controversial Keystone XL pipeline would pass under the same stretch of river, raising doubts over its safety and capacity to clean up any spill. Now this has been followed by … Read More
Now its Yellowstone To Keystone
You would have thought that Rupert Murdoch had enough on his plate right now without one of his paper’s backing the highly controversial Keystone XL tar sands pipeline in an editorial yesterday. Despite the deep controversy surrounding the specific project and the safety of pipelines in general, which have been reigntied by Exxon’s Yellowstone spill, … Read More
From Yellowstone to Blackstone
Stick the words Exxon and oil spill into the same sentence and of course people get vivid memories of the Exxon Valdez. Exxon’s latest spill on the Yellowstone river is tiny compared to what happened in Alaska, but still some 1,000 barrels – or 42,000 gallons of oil – have reportedly been spilt from the … Read More
Chevron Guilty: Clean Up the Amazon!
Last week it was Shell’s AGM and its turn to face the wrath of shareholders and activists for its appalling environmental record. This week its Chevron’s turn with its AGM tomorrow. Protests kicked off in dramatic style yesterday, when activists from Amazon Watch and Rainforest Action Network rappelled from the Richmond Bridge in the San … Read More
“I don’t see any daylight at the end of this tunnel”
At 10.00 AM today, BP’s 80,000 employees marked a minute’s silence in memory of those who died on the Deepwater Horizon, exactly a year ago. Meanwhile in the Gulf, relatives of the 11 men who died aboard the Deepwater Horizon are flying over the rig site, back to the epicenter of the disaster. On land, … Read More
BP “wanted control of the science”
This Wednesday is going to be a painful day for many. The first Anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon will be a deeply painful day for many of the workers who were on the fateful rig, and the families of the deceased. We must remember that eleven people died that day. At least 40 workers were … Read More