Shell’s North Sea Problem

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/atlih/2528783826/sizes/m/in/photostream/">Atili Haroarson</a>/Flickr

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


Royal Dutch Shell announced on Friday morning that they had finally stopped the flow of oil from a pipeline in the North Sea. It took eight days to cut off the leak from a valve off the coast of Scotland, although the company says that it was a slow leak and that only 1,300 barrels were released.

It’s good that things finally appear to be under control there, but this couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Dutch oil giant. Earlier this month, the US Department of Interior approved the company’s plan to begin drilling in the Arctic. The company still needs a few other permits from the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies, but could begin drilling in the Beaufort Sea as early as next summer.

Environmental advocates say this most recent spill and the time it took to stop the leak is still more evidence that letting Shell drill in the Arctic is a bad idea. For the Obama administration to green light drilling there is inviting a “nightmare,” wrote Natural Resources Defense Council head Frances Beinecke in an op-ed in the New York Times earlier this week. A spill in the Arctic would be really, really difficult to deal with—much more so than the North Sea. The region would be dark and ice-covered most of the year, and it’s remote location would make it hard to get response crews up there quickly.

Maybe Shell’s latest problem will give the Obama administration pause in moving forward with the Arctic drilling. But then again, we’ve had plenty of significant oil spills in the past year that should have raised red flags.

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate