Shell’s ships are on the way to drill in the Arctic as you’re reading this.
Tell President Obama it is a MORAL OUTRAGE to give Shell access to offshore oil in the Arctic after what they have done in Nigeria.
In the last year alone, Shell reported 204 spills in the Niger Delta.[1]
And that doesn’t even begin to demonstrate the trauma the oil company has inflicted upon the land and local communities.
After years of denial, Shell was forced to admit last year in court that they had seriously underestimated two oil spill disasters. The company eventually agreed to a $55 million settlement, significantly more than the $4,000 pocket change they offered the local community at first.[1]
And Shell’s damage hasn’t been confined to the land and water, of course. Gas flares, bright and widespread enough to be seen from space, cause toxic particles to clog people’s lungs.[2] Hundreds of thousands of people have been affected by oil pollution in the air, soil, drinking water, and fisheries.[3]
That’s to say nothing of the assassinations in which Shell was rumored to have participated. While Shell continues to deny any involvement in the hanging of nine anti-oil campaigners, including prominent author Ken Saro-Wiwa, the corporation ended up paying $15.5 million to the activists’ relatives. Shell settled the case one week before trial was to begin in the United States.[4]
Shell has proven that they cannot be trusted. Tell President Obama not to allow Shell to further their devastation in the Arctic!
The stakes are high as Shell’s drillship “Polar Pioneer” left Seattle this week and is now sailing its way to the Arctic. With a government-estimated 75% chance of a major oil spill, we’re on borrowed time.[5]
The Alaska Native communities of the North Slope depend on the bounty of the Arctic Ocean for their livelihoods-and their lives. Would you trust a company with Shell’s Nigerian record with your food source?
The president’s legacy is on the line-an unsolvable oil spill in the Arctic would forever tarnish his environmental credibility. Remind him of the stakes.
In it together,
Alexander Rony
SierraRise
P.S. Five signatures are even more powerful than one — after you take action, be sure to forward this alert to your friends, family, and colleagues!
