Shell faces a bill of hundreds of millions of dollars after accepting full liability for two massive oil spills that have devastated a Nigerian community of 69,000 people and may take at least 20 years to clean up.Oil spill experts who have studied video footage of the spills at Bodo in Ogoniland say the spills could together be as large as the 1989 Exxon Valdez disater in Alaska when 10m gallons of oil was spilt. Until now, Shell has claimed that less than 40,000 gallons were spilt.
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The crude oil that gushed unchecked from the two Bodo spills which occurred within months of each other in 2008 has clearly devastated the 20 sq km network of creeks and inlets on which Bodo and as many as 30 other smaller settlements depend for food, water and fuel.
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According to the communities in Bodo, in two years the company has only offered £3,500 together with 50 bags of rice, 50 bags of beans and a few cartons of sugar, tomatoes and groundnut oil.
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No attempt has been made to clean up the oil
Not until the lawsuit forces them to do right. This is why regulation of corporations is a must. This is why you need a government willing to regulate and enforce. I’m sorry, but when dollars are the motivating factor, the welfare of the people and the earth need protection. It’s a natural law.
On average, there are three oil spills a day by Shell and other companies working in the delta.[...]
According to Amnesty International, more than 13m barrels of oil have been spilt in the delta, twice as much as by BP in last year's Gulf of Mexico spill.
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International oil spill asessment experts who have seen the Bodo spill believe that it could cost the company more than $100m to clean up properly and restore the devastated mangrove forests that used to line the creeks and rivers but which have been killed by the oil.
Shell can afford it. My guess is they “accepted the responsibility” because it became clear to them that they stood to lose a lot more if this case were pursued any further.
....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.
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