Indigenous delegates to Shell shareholders: Extreme energy development is risk for investment and the planet
May 21, 2013 | Global Justice Ecology Project
The Hague, Netherlands - Today members of the Athabasca Chipewyan
First Nation (ACFN) and the Native Village of Point Hope, Alaska
attended the Royal Dutch Shell AGM to confront the Chairman and Board
over Shell’s decision to pursue highly risky ‘extreme energy’ projects
without adequate consultation and accommodation of Indigenous
communities. Projects such as Arctic off-shore drilling and tar sands
will have little long term benefit for the company, and expose it to
reputational damage, political and financial risk, including litigation.
“The ACFN leadership has made a commitment to protect our lands,
rights and people currently being threatened by tar sands development.
Our leadership has repeatedly tried exploring amenable agreements and
options with Shell regarding their current tar sands proposals for the
Jackpine expansion and the Pierre River mine projects. We want to work
directly with the company to adequately identify direct impacts and
solutions. However, Shell has repeatedly denied our requests and we have
been disappointed by their inability to make concessions to work with
us,” stated Eriel Deranger, member and Communications Coordinator of the
ACFN. “Today I brought forward our concerns to Shell’s Board about
current and proposed tar sands projects and the lack of adequate
consultation.[i] I sincerely hope the Board keeps its word to speak with
their Canadian president to address our concerns and potentially adjust
the environmental impact assessment process. If Shell continues to move
forward in project development without working directly with our
community it will continue to lead toward more delays in project
approvals, litigation and severe financial risk for Shell,[ii]”
continued Deranger.
Shell Oil Canada has put forward two new proposals in the Athabasca
tar sands. The Jackpine mine expansion application recently completed
the public review process and is awaiting approval May 31, 2013. The
Pierre River mine will be entering its public review process later this
year and the ACFN will continue to intervene to ensure the protection of
their lands, rights and vital waterways.
“Shell has been unaccountable and unresponsive for recent spills in
our community, which our community members have been monitoring and
testing. We live surrounded by 63 petro-chemical operators in 50 km
radius. Our health, culture and rights are severely impacted already and
we do not support tar sands refining or pipelines in our community. We
have our future generations to protect,” said Vanessa Grey, community
member of Aamwjiwnaang First Nation (AFN).
AFN is the proposed start for the highly contested tar sands Line 9
pipeline reversal and home to a Shell tar sands refinery. The pipelines
such as Keystone XL, Enbridge Northern Gateway and Line 9 are facing
massive public opposition, and look unlikely to be built soon. The price
of tar sands crude has dropped as a result.
Mae Hank, representative of Resisting Environmental Destruction on
Indigenous Lands (REDOIL), attended the AGM to to bring forward
concerns regarding Shell’s Arctic offshore activities.[iii] Litigation,
along with several other incidents has helped slow the rush to drill in
the Arctic but the Tribal communities remained concerned Shell has not
heeded these warnings.[iv]“Shell has stated that despite their current
‘pause’ in their Arctic offshore Alaska activities, the company is
committed to drill there again in the future,” she said. “As an Inupiat
Mother and Grandmother, I strongly oppose this plan, as do a majority of
Inupiat. There is still no viable spill plan in place not only for
cleaning up spills but how the company will compensate our community for
the loss of food and food security.[v] I asked the Chairman and the
Board to explain how they would compensate our community’s food security
and needs when the next major oil spill disaster happens. The Chairman
and the board simply danced around the question and did nothing to quell
my concerns.”
Despite being plagued with substantial problems throughout and after
the drilling season, Shell plans to continue its efforts for exploratory
drilling in 2014 in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. The company has
spent $4.5bn securing permits to drill in Arctic waters, however they
have been proven incapable of operating in the area. Shell’s experiences
should be a cautionary tale as decisions are made about whether to
authorize these activities in the future.
Source: Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation
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