Gumbo Alliance Goes International
Tired of Houston's Shell Games, RodNReel.com & GRN Head to the Hague
On the heels of last week’s significant victories in securing fish-friendly closed-loop LNG terminals for the Gulf of Mexico, the Gumbo Alliance for Safe LNG, an unlikely coalition of commercial and recreational fishing interests working alongside conservation groups and environmentalists, will be pressing their advantage in front of the shareholders and board of Royal Dutch Shell. Currently Shell is the only energy corporation with both the permit and intent to build an off-shore, open rack vaporizer, gravity based terminal to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the Gulf of Mexico.
On Friday, May 5, Louisiana’s Governor Kathleen Blanco followed through on her pledge to veto any further open-loop LNG terminal permits unless environmental impacts could be shown to be negligible. In issuing the veto of Freeport McMoRan’s Main Pass Energy Hub terminal, Governor Blanco cited the ongoing, unanimous concerns of fisheries experts and managers from the federal, regional and state levels. Within 24 business hours, Freeport announced they would build their terminal closed-loop. With Governor Blanco’s decision receiving the vocal support of Alabama’s Governor Riley, the Gumbo Alliance believes the writing is on the wall for further open-loop terminals in the Gulf of Mexico. “We’re proud of Governor Blanco for standing up for fisheries and standing down Freeport,” said Charlie Smith with the Louisiana Charter Boat Association. “Freeport’s response proves we’ve been correct all along: we can protect our fish and develop LNG profitably in this state.”
While a legal challenge brought by members of the Gumbo Alliance to Shell’s Gulf Landing permit is still undecided, the Alliance has decided to attend the Royal Dutch Shell annual general meeting of stockholders in the Netherlands Tuesday, May 16th to appeal directly to the International Board of Directors. “Our game plan is simple,” said Mike Lane, publisher of RodNReel.com, ”Shell continues to tout their commitment to coastal Louisiana as well as their international commitments to sustainability and protecting biodiversity – we’re gonna ask them to walk the walk. This is a corporation that cleared well over $2 million an hour last quarter, it would cost them less than one day’s profit to develop Gulf Landing in a fish-friendly fashion.”
Mr. Lane will be attending the shareholder meeting on the official behalf of As You Sow, a non-profit foundation and Shell shareholder directed by former Sierra Club president Larry Fahn. Mr. Fahn attended the first Gumbo Alliance trailered boat parade around New Orleans’ One Shell Square in May of 2005. Mr. Lane and Aaron Viles, the Campaign Director with the Gulf Restoration Network will communicate the Gumbo Alliance’s concerns to the Royal Dutch Shell board of directors and shareholders as well as the international media in attendance.
The Gulf Restoration Network will hand-deliver 1,500 postcards to Shell that the organization collected at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, recently sponsored by Shell. “Overwhelmingly, people were thankful for Shell’s sponsorship of Jazz Fest, but they also support Shell doing everything in their power to guarantee that the Gulf’s fish populations are protected for the long term,” said Viles. “That’s what the postcards say, that’s what the banner towed over Jazz Fest said – Thanks for the music Shell, don’t kill our fish.”
Tired of Houston's Shell Games, RodNReel.com & GRN Head to the Hague
On the heels of last week’s significant victories in securing fish-friendly closed-loop LNG terminals for the Gulf of Mexico, the Gumbo Alliance for Safe LNG, an unlikely coalition of commercial and recreational fishing interests working alongside conservation groups and environmentalists, will be pressing their advantage in front of the shareholders and board of Royal Dutch Shell. Currently Shell is the only energy corporation with both the permit and intent to build an off-shore, open rack vaporizer, gravity based terminal to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) in the Gulf of Mexico.
On Friday, May 5, Louisiana’s Governor Kathleen Blanco followed through on her pledge to veto any further open-loop LNG terminal permits unless environmental impacts could be shown to be negligible. In issuing the veto of Freeport McMoRan’s Main Pass Energy Hub terminal, Governor Blanco cited the ongoing, unanimous concerns of fisheries experts and managers from the federal, regional and state levels. Within 24 business hours, Freeport announced they would build their terminal closed-loop. With Governor Blanco’s decision receiving the vocal support of Alabama’s Governor Riley, the Gumbo Alliance believes the writing is on the wall for further open-loop terminals in the Gulf of Mexico. “We’re proud of Governor Blanco for standing up for fisheries and standing down Freeport,” said Charlie Smith with the Louisiana Charter Boat Association. “Freeport’s response proves we’ve been correct all along: we can protect our fish and develop LNG profitably in this state.”
While a legal challenge brought by members of the Gumbo Alliance to Shell’s Gulf Landing permit is still undecided, the Alliance has decided to attend the Royal Dutch Shell annual general meeting of stockholders in the Netherlands Tuesday, May 16th to appeal directly to the International Board of Directors. “Our game plan is simple,” said Mike Lane, publisher of RodNReel.com, ”Shell continues to tout their commitment to coastal Louisiana as well as their international commitments to sustainability and protecting biodiversity – we’re gonna ask them to walk the walk. This is a corporation that cleared well over $2 million an hour last quarter, it would cost them less than one day’s profit to develop Gulf Landing in a fish-friendly fashion.”
Mr. Lane will be attending the shareholder meeting on the official behalf of As You Sow, a non-profit foundation and Shell shareholder directed by former Sierra Club president Larry Fahn. Mr. Fahn attended the first Gumbo Alliance trailered boat parade around New Orleans’ One Shell Square in May of 2005. Mr. Lane and Aaron Viles, the Campaign Director with the Gulf Restoration Network will communicate the Gumbo Alliance’s concerns to the Royal Dutch Shell board of directors and shareholders as well as the international media in attendance.
The Gulf Restoration Network will hand-deliver 1,500 postcards to Shell that the organization collected at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, recently sponsored by Shell. “Overwhelmingly, people were thankful for Shell’s sponsorship of Jazz Fest, but they also support Shell doing everything in their power to guarantee that the Gulf’s fish populations are protected for the long term,” said Viles. “That’s what the postcards say, that’s what the banner towed over Jazz Fest said – Thanks for the music Shell, don’t kill our fish.”
Labels: Energy Accountability, LNG
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