Date: 7/12/2012
Title: Greens sue to block
Shell drilling in Arctic Alaska
National
conservation groups are taking Shell to court in one last attempt to stop them
from drilling exploratory wells in the Arctic waters. The conservation groups
are worried that an oil spill will happen based on past drilling experiences
with other companies. They are going to court to make sure they are prepared
and know the risks, especially if they are now finished by October before the
bad winter storms. The U.S department of Interior has given Shell the ok but
others are not ok with the decision. The oil spills would affect many
endangered animals in and around the waters where the drilling will occur. The
green groups do not trust the oil spill equipment since it is most of the same
back from 2000 that is unreliable as it has not been tested in Arctic waters. Even
in relatively good conditions less than 10% of the oil was cleaned up from the
Exxon Valdez spill. Shell has no way to know if they can prevent a spill, all
they can do is hope and tell people it is safe for them to drill. I believe
that they should not drill until they can do safety tests on their equipment
and wait until all the talk about it calms down. Shell needs to work on their equipment
and research more before they go in and drill. They say that they would not be
there if they were not absolutely confident that they could execute a responsible
exploration program. They expect to start drilling in August with the drilling
rig the Noble Discoverer.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2012/07/12/greens-sue-to-block-shell-drilling-in-arctic-alaska/
I totally agree that there need to be better machines for oil drilling to protect the environment, but I also feel that once they so have the right machinery, that the new oil could really help the global market.
ReplyDeleteI understand that we need to drill for oil and I also agree that equipment has to be tested further for extreme weather conditions such as in Alaska. I don't believe Exxon did a great job of cleaning up after the Valdez spill and these companies have to be held accountable for any potential spills. On the other hand, I believe BP has done a much better job of cleaning up the Gulf after that explosion and spill. Shell has to be aware of its responsibility and go in ready to face any consequences that arise should a spill occur.
ReplyDeleteYou say that Shell should wait to drill until all the talk calms down but I believe that no matter when they decide to drill that the talk of the previous incident will come up.
ReplyDeleteThere's always to sides to a situation, so in any situation there will be a group of people who agree and disagree. I think that as long as their equipment is checked and good to go drilling in Alaska would be a good idea because we could sell it to other countries who need it and put that money towards our nations trillion dollar debt.
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ReplyDeleteIf Shell was to test its equipment before actually drilling in the Arctic, I do not think there would be such controversy. We need oil, and Shell should not be prevented from drilling because of what has happened in the past. As long as Shell makes sure its equipment is safe, I see no problem with their drilling plans.
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