Lies About Shell Drilling In Alaska Waters - Atlas Shrugs, Fox News

Poisonous Pam Geller at Atlas Shrugs published a story (click here) from one of her readers about how the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) denied Shell/BP a drilling permit off Alaska's North Slope, refusing to issue an air quality permit because their environmental impact statement failed to include the emissions from an icebreaker, when the companies had already invested $6.2 billion. Actually the EPA granted the permit; an opposing party protested, wanting the additional information. In December 2010, the EPA asked for the information -- and on 3 February, 2011, Shell/BP announced they are postponing the project until the 2012 season.

Geller's correspondent wrote: "The EPA rejected the AQ permit because they claim Shell did not include the  exhaust emissions of the icebreaker ship transporting men and equipment to the site! You can't make this shit up, Atlas." Well, apparently you can. He also wrote: "...destroying the economy is one form of terrorism," and "This destruction of America is simply NO accident."

Although this happened nearly three months ago, our good friends at Fox News have been pushing the story recently, trying to link it to the present high gas prices -- imagine! That terrible gubmint bureaucracy forcing the poor oil majors to lose all that money over such a triviality! Keeping all that oil off the market, with gas prices so high! -- but Media Matters shoots them out of the water here: Fox Pushes Months-Old Shell Oil Story To Hit Obama Over Gas Prices. Of course, if Shell had started drilling yesterday, it would be something like six years before any of that oil would come to the pumps after refining.

The project still has not been given final approval and may yet be refused because of Shell's grossly inadequate plans in the event of what could be a massive spill, but not because of the exhaust emissions from one ship.