APRIL 17, 2015
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
A 400 foot tall oil rig has arrived in Port
Angeles. Shell Oil plans to use the Polar Pioneer to drill this summer,
off Alaska’s North Slope. Environmentalists oppose the exploration - many
were in Port Angeles Friday for what they called an
"unwelcoming".
Greenpeace’s “Mosquito Fleet” in Port Angeles harbor in
Puget Sound greeted the arctic-class semisubmersible drilling rig Polar Pioneer
as it arrived aboard the heavy lift ship Blue Marlin on Friday 17 April 2015.
Among them, Michael Bittner. He said the arrival of the
Polar Pioneer felt like an invasion.
"To have something come into our region that has
already been said to pose a catastrophic risk to the Arctic and global climate
is really devastating to see here," Bittner said.
Coast Guard helicopters have been circling the Port Angeles
Harbor as crews prepare to anchor the oil rig.
George Williams is a navy retiree. He drove to the
waterfront to check out what was happening. He said the oil rig could bring
jobs, at least temporarily.
"They'll want anything that might help the economy
because there's not much here," Williams said.
The Polar Pioneer will stay in Port Angeles Harbor for at
least two weeks for outfitting before it’s towed to Seattle. The port will be
used as a hub for repairs and preparation.
Locals are protesting Shell’s arctic drilling ambitions
which are set to restart this summer after the Polar Pioneer is subsequently
transported to Alaska.
Before it heads north however, the Polar Pioneer will be
brought to Seattle where “direct action” is planned for 18 May by organizers
from ShellNo.org.
“We will unite in creative action, including a mass
water-based blockade, and an event focused on working to honor our connections
with this beautiful and complex planet. These events will build to a day of
Mass Direct Action on Monday, May 18, when we will use nonviolent action to
SHUT DOWN SHELL and all operations related to their Arctic expedition,” the
organization said.
In late March, the Obama administration approved Arctic
drilling permits for 2015 and beyond.
Opponents are concerned the development of new oil reserves
would escalate climate change and that the spills (that are almost a certainty)
will be very difficult to cleanup.
//---------------------//
A Shell Oil drilling rig at the center of environmental
protests about oil exploration in the Arctic arrived off Port Angeles at dawn
Friday on a trip that will eventually land it on the Seattle waterfront.
The Polar Pioneer came over the horizon in the Strait of
Juan de Fuca aboard the carrier Blue Marlin.
Activists opposed to drilling gathered with their kayaks on
Ediz Hook, a long finger of land curling around the Port Angeles harbor. They
planned to "unwelcome" the rig when it came to anchor.
But also present on the hook were residents who support
having the rig in town. Many feel the area needs the welding and other jobs
that the project will bring.
The Polar Pioneer and another Shell rig, the Noble Discover,
are coming from Asia to a maintenance site being set up at Terminal 5 in West
Seattle.
Activists have protested the use of the Port of Seattle site
for maintaining Shell Oil's Arctic drilling fleet. They say that drilling for
oil and gas in the Arctic is inherently dangerous and that Seattle shouldn't
support that project. They also worry about contamination of Puget Sound by
maintenance activities.
Greenpeace activists boarded the Polar Pioneer in
mid-Pacific and remained for days until bad weather forced them back to their
own ship.
Source: http://kuow.org