In response to the Department of Interior’s approval of Shell Oil’s Chukchi Sea drilling lease, Greenpeace USA Executive Director Annie Leonard said:
“Shell may now have approval from the Obama administration to drill in the Arctic, but it does not have approval from the people. Millions around the world are saying ‘no’ to Arctic drilling and other extraction projects that we have to freeze to avoid catastrophic climate change. On the same day President Obama pledges to cut US greenhouse gas emissions by nearly a third, he opens the back door for one of the most irresponsible oil companies to drill in the Arctic. While this decision is deeply disappointing, it will also energize people around the world to oppose Shell at every turn. Shell’s Arctic oil rigs are now infamous, and all eyes will be looking north this summer.”
“No one in her right mind would trust Shell to deliver a pizza safely across town, so trusting the company to drill in the Arctic is nothing short of negligence. Shell will return to the remote Chukchi Sea with Noble Drilling, a contractor that has pleaded guilty to eight felonies, and the Noble Discoverer, an ancient rig that failed numerous safety inspections. Shell thinks its billions can buy it a free pass to Alaska this summer, but Americans hate an incompetent bully and we won’t stand by and watch this catastrophe unfold.”
“There was little doubt that federal regulators were paving the way for Shell to drill in the Arctic. The Obama administration has now been fooled twice by Shell and the shame is on them.”
Contact:
Cassady Sharp, 828-817-3328, [email protected]
