Creative Solutions To Seemingly Impossible Challenges

A protester opposes allowing Royal Dutch Shell drilling rigs to dock in Seattle on their way to Alaska. Credit David Ryder for The New York Times

After a shockingly depressing, disappointing decision by the President of the USA to approve Shell’s drilling plan in the Arctic (this company is clearly not ready for the responsibility–what happened to your better, judicious self, Mr. President?!?), it is heartening to see citizens’ creative counter-tactics (even if this particular David does not beat this particular Goliath, thank you anyway, thinking people of Seattle, for trying):

Seattle Port Votes to Delay Drilling Rigs on the Way to Alaska

By KIRK JOHNSON

SEATTLE — The Port of Seattle’s board voted Tuesday to ask that the arrival of Shell’s Arctic drilling rigs be delayed, bowing to a wave of public pressure by protesters and city officials over the company’s plans to drill this summer off the coast of Alaska and use Puget Sound as a home port.

But the vote at port headquarters, after three hours of passionate testimony, did not compel a delay or rescind the lease that was signed earlier this year allowing Shell to use a 50-acre site near downtown called Terminal 5.

Instead, the port said only that Shell’s use of the terminal “should” be postponed, “pending further legal review,” and urged the local company that would host Shell, Foss Maritime, to delay mooring Shell’s vessels.

The 3-to-1 vote by the board came a day after the federal authorities gave conditional approval for Shell to begin drilling test wells off the coast of Alaska this summer. Shell’s giant rigs are expected to arrive this week for moorage and maintenance in preparation for a dash north, where the start of a drilling season could begin as early as July 15.

Protesters have vowed to try to block Shell, with a rally in small boats and kayaks planned for this weekend, and have said they will hold land-based protests next week in the city. Seattle’s mayor and City Council, which do not control the port but issue permits for use there, have denounced the lease and asked the port to consider another use.

The underlying dynamic is a battle over control…

Read the whole article here.