the dutch are drilling in the arctic

Medium

Digital

Artist Notes

© 2010 RC deWinter ~ All Rights Reserved Well, they will be soon...an oil drilling ship sits in Beaufort Sea in the Arctic, courtesy of Royal Dutch Shell. Glaciers melt in the background as the drill plunges into the ocean, disturbing not only the waters but the wildlife that populates them as well. On May 13, 2010, the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against a group of consolidated lawsuits that challenged the Mineral Management Service's approval of Shell's plans to conduct exploratory drilling for oil in two Arctic seas. The Environmental Protection Agency had previously granted Shell clean air permits for this drilling expedition. The EPA's approval is now being appealed by Alaskan Natives and environmental groups; in light of the 9th Circuit's ruling, it seems unlikely the appeal with be granted. Despite the oil industry's lack of knowledge on how to contain a potential oil spill in icy waters, the recent BP Gulf of Mexico disaster and the disturbance to the natural ecology of the region that drilling will cause, money apparently still has a very loud voice and carries a very big stick.