A major campaign is underway in Seattle against oil giant Shell’s
plans to drill in the remote and pristine Arctic this summer. On
Monday, hundreds blocked the entrance to the the city’s port, where
Shell has docked its 400-foot-long, 355-foot-wide Arctic-bound Polar
Pioneer drilling rig. On Saturday, about 500 environmentalists and
indigenous leaders took to kayaks and small boats in a protest described
as "Paddle in Seattle." The Shell rig arrived Thursday even after
Seattle’s mayor announced its permit as a cargo ship does not apply to
oil rigs. Now the Seattle City Council has issued a notice of violation
against Shell and could issue fines of up to $500 a day. All this comes
after the Obama administration announced conditional approval for the
company’s plans last week. We are joined by Seattle City Councilmember
Mike O’Brien, who was among the hundreds of kayakers in Saturday’s
action.
Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: We
end today’s show in Seattle, where a major campaign is underway against
oil giant Shell’s plans to drill in the remote and pristine Arctic this
summer. On Monday, hundreds blocked the entrance to the the city’s port,
where Shell has docked its 400-foot-long, 355-foot-wide Arctic-bound
Polar Pioneer drilling rig. On Saturday, about 500 environmentalists and
indigenous leaders took to kayaks and small boats in a protest
described as "Paddle in Seattle." The Shell rig arrived Thursday, even
after Seattle’s mayor announced its permit as a cargo ship does not
apply to oil rigs.AMY GOODMAN: Now Seattle’s City Council has issued a notice of violation against Shell and could issue fines of up to $500 a day. All this comes after the Obama administration announced conditional approval for the company’s plans last week.
For more, we’re joined by Seattle City Councilmember Mike O’Brien. On Saturday, he was among hundreds of kayakers who surrounded the rig for a Paddle in Seattle.
