In response to President Obama’s statement this afternoon in defence of Shell’s Arctic drilling, Greenpeace spokesperson Travis Nichols said:
“It’s clear President Obama has heard the chorus of boos greeting his approval of Shell’s summer Arctic plans. He knows his climate legacy is at risk in the Arctic this summer, but instead of stopping Shell from drilling, he’s defending the company. If, as the President says, Shell has learned from its mistakes, why did it fail its first coast guard inspection last month? Why haven’t we seen the results of the third party audits Obama’s own administration asked for after the 2012 fiasco? There are very easy ways to prove Shell has learned something from its mistakes, but no one in the Obama administration is holding the company accountable.”
The President defended Shell and its track record just as one of Shell’s Arctic rigs, the Polar Pioneer, arrived in Seattle, where it was met by a series of protests.
