Seattleites took a dramatic stand, er paddle, against Arctic oil drilling. Local Native Americans and concerned citizens took to kayak and canoe and surrounded a giant, Arctic-bound Royal Dutch Shell oil drilling rig currently making a layover in the Port of Seattle.
The group that planned the event, called the “Paddle in Seattle,” said Saturday’s demonstration began a three-day “massive peaceful resistance,” the Associated Press reports.
Protesters of all ages, on land and in the water, carried signs with phrases like “Climate Justice”, "Shell No, Seattle Draws The Line”, “Oil-Free Future” and “We can’t burn all the oil on the planet and still live on it.”
The group plans to block access to the oil giant’s rig parked in the Port of Seattle’s Terminal 5 and delay preparations for drilling on Monday.
The Obama administration conditionally approved Shell's summer plans to drill for oil in the Chukchi Sea, north of Alaska. The Anglo-Dutch company still must obtain permits from the federal government and the state of Alaska to begin drilling. It says Arctic resources could be vital for supplying future energy needs.
The Port of Seattle's commissioners took heat for their controversial decision to lease one of its piers to Shell, tying the progressive city to fossil fuel extraction and the potential for environmental catastrophe in the Arctic.
Shell was forced to halt its Arctic exploration in 2012 amid a series of severe security mishaps.
Annie Leonard, executive director of the environmental group Greenpeace USA, said there are a long list of reasons why drilling in the Arctic is a bad idea. The focus should be on renewable energy in this time of climate change, not dirty fuels, she said.
Shell says it plans to move drill rigs to Seattle despite protests. Port officials say Shell has filed a berthing request to arrive in Everett on Tuesday.
