Niger Delta: Shell To Clean Up 268 Oil Spill Sites
« on: June 15, 2010, 07:07 AM »
Niger Delta: Shell to clean up 268 oil spill sites
From Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja, 06.14.2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Minister of Environment John Odey has asked Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to ensure that its plan to carry out the clean-up of some 268 sites in the Niger Delta conforms with the Federal Government's guidelines on environmental standards.
The minister advised the company to conduct the clean-up exercise in collaboration with the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), the regulatory agency that ensures oil companies maintain environmental standards.
He made these comments while receiving the Managing Director of Shell Mutiu Sumonu over the weekend.
"We acknowledge your recent reaction to government's quest for remediation plan for all oil impacted sites; we are aware of your plan to remediate 268 sites and particularly the earmark for clean-up of 185 sites for next year 2011.
"I will charge NOSDRA to do this in collaboration with you and urge that we build capacities by involving rural communities so that we can transfer skills,” he stated.
Odey said the visit of the Shell MD would improve communication and information sharing with officials of the ministry. It will also go a long way to improve the lives of the people in the oil communities, he added.
According to him, Shell has made reasonable progress in respect of environmental impact assessment. He urged the company to try as much as possible to work together with the government to collectively control oil spill and act promptly when it occurs.
The minister stressed the importance of the meeting, saying there should be a joint inspection of oil-impacted sites. Effort should also be made towards building trust and confidence between the communities and the oil companies, he said.
Odey advised Shell to ensure that it puts in place an oil spill contingency plan. Such a plan should carry NORSDA along in all its activities, he said. In his response, Sumonu pointed out that oil companies currently operating in the country are in a position to respond quickly to any spill.
He argued that the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico cannot not be compared to that of Nigeria.
"The kind of situation we have in the Gulf of Mexico, we don't have that in ten years in Nigeria. All the oil companies in Nigeria will work together to ensure we respond to spill.
"There is no spill that happened that we (Shell) have not handled within 24 to 48 hours. It is a fallacy for some people to compare the spill in Gulf of Mexico to what happens here", he said.
Reference: http://odili.net/news/source/2010/jun/14/207.html
« on: June 15, 2010, 07:07 AM »
Niger Delta: Shell to clean up 268 oil spill sites
From Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja, 06.14.2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Minister of Environment John Odey has asked Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to ensure that its plan to carry out the clean-up of some 268 sites in the Niger Delta conforms with the Federal Government's guidelines on environmental standards.
The minister advised the company to conduct the clean-up exercise in collaboration with the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), the regulatory agency that ensures oil companies maintain environmental standards.
He made these comments while receiving the Managing Director of Shell Mutiu Sumonu over the weekend.
"We acknowledge your recent reaction to government's quest for remediation plan for all oil impacted sites; we are aware of your plan to remediate 268 sites and particularly the earmark for clean-up of 185 sites for next year 2011.
"I will charge NOSDRA to do this in collaboration with you and urge that we build capacities by involving rural communities so that we can transfer skills,” he stated.
Odey said the visit of the Shell MD would improve communication and information sharing with officials of the ministry. It will also go a long way to improve the lives of the people in the oil communities, he added.
According to him, Shell has made reasonable progress in respect of environmental impact assessment. He urged the company to try as much as possible to work together with the government to collectively control oil spill and act promptly when it occurs.
The minister stressed the importance of the meeting, saying there should be a joint inspection of oil-impacted sites. Effort should also be made towards building trust and confidence between the communities and the oil companies, he said.
Odey advised Shell to ensure that it puts in place an oil spill contingency plan. Such a plan should carry NORSDA along in all its activities, he said. In his response, Sumonu pointed out that oil companies currently operating in the country are in a position to respond quickly to any spill.
He argued that the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico cannot not be compared to that of Nigeria.
"The kind of situation we have in the Gulf of Mexico, we don't have that in ten years in Nigeria. All the oil companies in Nigeria will work together to ensure we respond to spill.
"There is no spill that happened that we (Shell) have not handled within 24 to 48 hours. It is a fallacy for some people to compare the spill in Gulf of Mexico to what happens here", he said.
Reference: http://odili.net/news/source/2010/jun/14/207.html
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