Activists protest the Shell Oil Company’s drilling rig Polar Pioneer which is parked at Terminal 5 at the Port of Seattle.  Credit: Jason Redmond/Reuters

Activists protest the Shell Oil Company’s drilling rig Polar Pioneer which is parked at Terminal 5 at the Port of Seattle.
Credit: Jason Redmond/Reuters

The Obama administration’s process for giving Shell the go-ahead for restarting its drilling in the Arctic lacked transparency and prevented an informed public response, environmental groups have warned.

The results of a third-party audit required by the US government before Royal Dutch Shell be allowed back into the US Arctic remain under wraps, and the third-party auditor – supposedly taken on to provide better oversight – was selected and paid for by Shell, the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement confirmed.

The consequences of such a lack of transparency and opportunity for public scrutiny are worrying, the environmental group Greenpeace says.

Shell had to exit the US Arctic waters in 2012 after the oil giant’s equipment failed an environment protection test. Its activities in the area that year […]

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