Posted on 04/25/2011 6:28:52 AM PDT by thackney
Shell Oil Company has announced it must scrap efforts to drill for oil this summer in the Arctic Ocean off the northern coast of Alaska. The decision comes following a ruling by the EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board to withhold critical air permits. The move has angered some in Congress and triggered a flurry of legislation aimed at stripping the EPA of its oil drilling oversight.
Shell has spent five years and nearly $4 billion dollars on plans to explore for oil in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. The leases alone cost $2.2 billion. Shell Vice President Pete Slaiby says obtaining similar air permits for a drilling operation in the Gulf of Mexico would take about 45 days. He’s especially frustrated over the appeal board’s suggestion that the Arctic drill would somehow be hazardous for the people who live in the area. “We think the issues were really not major,” Slaiby said, “and clearly not impactful for the communities we work in.”
The closest village to where Shell proposed to drill is Kaktovik, Alaska. It is one of the most remote places in the United States. According to the latest census, the population is 245 and nearly all of the residents are Alaska natives. The village, ...
The EPA’s appeals board ruled that Shell had not taken into consideration emissions from an ice-breaking vessel when calculating overall greenhouse gas emissions from the project. Environmental groups were thrilled by the ruling.
“What the modeling showed was in communities like Kaktovik, Shell’s drilling would increase air pollution levels close to air quality standards,” said Eric Grafe, Earthjustice’s lead attorney on the case. Earthjustice was joined by Center for Biological Diversity and the Alaska Wilderness League in challenging the air permits.
At stake is an estimated 27 billion barrels of oil.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
“THE EPA MUST GO”
Maybe it is something we can get on Ballots in 2012. That action alone cost the United States billions in revenues. I would love for Americans to know what the EPA has done to destroy America.
funny thing:
you never hear the oil co’s and their refineries
complain or take out ads about the way they are treated by the enviro;s.
The Russians use nuclear powered ice-breakers. While I worked on the Alaskan North Slope, there was not a nuclear ice-breaker in use.
Any liberal could tell you that giving jobs to Eskimos is bad for them. They might get uppity and forsake the (virtual) plantation.
Note that they’re worried about alleged greenhouse gases (water vapor is more than 100 times more potent than CO2 in that regard) but they cannot say it will smog the nearby cities (probably because it won’t smog them).
The EPA must be defunded
I didn't realize that. Thanks. I thought we had a couple of our own.
I guess that makes me wonder.....why not?
Do the enviers walk or ride horses to their protests?? Are they going to regulate horse droppings next?
Simple fix, Shell should just offer to fund a new nuclear-powered Ice-breaker. Thus little-to-no greenhouse gas emissions and neatly implements Obama's desire for increased nuclear power.
Perhaps when Shell fills out the air pollution estimate, they can just use “Air Force One DC to Los Angeles Emissions” as a unit of pollution?
Just call it AFODCLAE units...
Hey, this is just in line with Obama’s energy policy:
Take unicorn poop and turn it into renewable energy!
Air permits? What's there downwind that breathes?
It couldn't be more clear: the goal is to halt domestic production so that the Bamster's buddies can feed off the American corpse.
Damn!!!!!!
Just how big do these fools think the diesel engines are on the damn ice-breaker.
Corrupt stupid idiots can't even come up with a decent lie.
No They don’t carry... Yet.
As far as I know, only Russia has ever done nuclear ice-breakers. Some of the ships were built in Finland then the nuclear works added in Russia.
Heck, the GOP leadership in Congress will likely just say, "We care about the environment too!"
I want the EPA in front of a House hearing next week. I want them to justify, scientifically, their rulings. Issa is the head of the oversight committee, right? He needs to be emailed en masse.
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