An Early Saturday Morning, Around the Time to Go Out and Catch Some Red Drum

LNG Campaign Hits High-Gear: Shell Phone Calls, Sportsmen Radio, Amazing Media

As I rode my bike to work last Saturday, at 5:30 in the morning, all I could think about was what I was going to say. There are just so many arguments to use against the fish-killing open-loop LNG system that Shell has proposed. I just had to choose the right one, for this morning, I would be delivering it straight to the man himself. Greg Koehler, the President of Shell’s Gulf Landing Terminal, was coming on a sports radio show to stick up for his company’s flawed proposal. Luckily, Pat, the Gulf Restoration Network organizer in Houston, had already worked with Capt. Wayne, and we’d gotten the head’s up. This meant that a large group of fishermen, Pat, and I were all ready to call in and prove him wrong!

Greg was calling into the radio show in response to the increasing pressure Shell is experiencing to abandon their fish-killing machines in favor of environmentally-friendly alternatives. On January 31, the Gulf Restoration Network released the Mr. Bill video clip that exposes the dangers of Shell’s open-loop design. Walter Williams, the creator of Mr. Bill was there to unveil his new work. Great speakers like Aaron Viles of the Gulf Restoration Network, Charlie Smith from the Louisiana Charter Boat Association, and Adam Babich from the Tulane Environmental Law Clinic all offered their unique perspectives on this needless threat to our Gulf.

The next day, the Mr. Bill video was launched and broad call-in day efforts swung into action. The video clip was distributed to over 21,000 people on our email network! Along with enjoying Mr. Bill’s classic “Ohhh NOoooo!”, recipients were asked to place a phone call to Shell. There were also on-the-ground efforts at college campuses throughout the Gulf. Students at places like Rice and LSU set up tables to tell people about the proposed fish-killing machines and give them an immediate opportunity to make a difference with a phone call!

The call-in day was incredibly successful! Within hours, Greg Koehler himself had left a long personal message on the answering machine. He tried to downplay the environmental impact and test callers patience by making them listen for over two minutes. No one was deterred and Shell was overwhelmed by the calls!!

So, Greg and the public relations folks at Shell decided they needed to do something, and I was riding my bike to catch the 6AM radio show on the internet and rebut his misleading claims.

With all the outreach that the Gulf Restoration Network has been doing in the fishing community, Greg chose a Houston-based fishing show as the platform for his message. Little did he know, the hosts of the show, and the rest of the greater Houston fishing community, were already steadfast in their opposition to the fish-killing open-loop.

I arrived at the office, put on some coffee and found the radio station online. Ahhh! Technical difficulties . . . I couldn’t hear the show. As I’m scrambling to figure out how to access the online airwaves, Pat calls.

“Dan, are you going to call in?! This guy is really sticking to the message, saying open-loop won’t harm the environment, but he did say he’s interested in learning more about the Mustang Technology!!” he told me. Mustang Technology is one of the great fish-friendly alternatives.

I needed to be hearing what was being said so I could craft my call. Time was running out on the show! Download a plug-in, more technical jargon, restart the computer. Pat’s on the phone trying to give me a sense of what’s being said. Greg keeps misleading the public about Shell’s fish-killing machines, using smoke and mirrors to distort the scary truth.

Pat had already called in to the show. He argued with Greg a bit and warned him of the boat parade that would be happening outside his office. On Tuesday, February 7, the Gulf Restoration Network, the Texas Kayak Fishermen, and the Recreational Fishing Alliance, along with other recreational fishermen and charter boat captains staged a massive boat parade through downtown Houston to Shell’s headquarters. The 5 large fishing boats and 9 kayaks made quite a scene along with over 30 fishermen wielding signs and chanting to stop the open-loop! It was awesome! On that Saturday morning, it had yet to happen, and Pat thought it only fair (and good strategy) to give warning to the company.

The coffee was brewed and I was enjoying my first sips when finally, I got the radio show to come streaming in! The first thing I heard was a fisherman on the air talking about how much this terminal was going to affect the redfish population. He liked catching redfish and Shell was trying to make it harder, the man explained. Greg tried to assuage his fears, but the fisherman wasn’t satisfied.

Since I was calling from New Orleans, I had decided I would bring in the big picture (my brain had started working better with the coffee). After speaking with the station for a moment, they put me on the air, where Greg could hear my comments, “Shell has continuously claimed to be a leader in the industry on the environment. Why then are you insisting upon setting a precedent for using such harmful technology in the Gulf? There are seven proposed open-loop terminals in the Gulf, the cumulative impact of all these fish-killing machines will be incredibly detrimental!”

He ignored my question about precedent and tried to explain how open-loop was best for the Gulf because so many fisheries agencies had taken part in the process that approved the terminal. I was quick to point out that, in fact, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Council, and all the other major fisheries management bodies had participated in the process to oppose the technology, and that the Mobile Register had absolutely refuted the arguement that open-loop was the only viable technology for the Gulf.

Greg again changed the subject and began talking about a presentation he recently made to the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Council. Unfortunately, I had no time to respond before we cut to commercial, because what he had failed to mention was that the GSMFC had not accepted the industry-paid-for science Shell presented to them at that meeting!

There is no way that Greg could answer the tough questions that fishermen and organizers posed for him that Saturday because there is absolutely no reason to insist on using fish-killing technology in the Gulf! With all that’s already happened here over the last 5 months, especially to the fishing community, Shell needs to get it together and stop their silly games! Close the loop now to protect our fisheries and the health of our Gulf!!

Shell is responding to the pressure! Citizens of the Gulf must continue to ramp it up to make them realize it will damage the Shell reputation and name forever if the corporation continues to push for the death of our fish! Everyone who cares about catching fish, eating fish, the ecosystem of the Gulf, or the health of the environment anywhere must get involved with these efforts!

To learn more about the LNG issue and campaign, visit the LNG section of the website at www.healthygulf.org/LNG.htm. Make sure to fill out the e-action, and it will send an email directly to Greg Koehler himself, along with a number of other key decision-makers and executives at Shell!

Dan Favre is a Green Corps organizer, working with GRN on the LNG campaign