- Forced evictions and demolitions
- Oil spills
- UNEP report on Ogoni pollution
- "We are dying" - Vast expanses of land torched by Agip following oil spills
- New year, new oil spill
- Oil spills and imported fuel promotes 'illegal' oil refining
- Oil spill from AGIP facility pollutes communities
- Shell publishes Environmental Impact Assessments but does not go far enough
- Coalition Calls for Compensation Body to Address Oil Spills
- Niger Delta oil spills go unnoticed as the world focusses on the Gulf of Mexico
- Continuous oil spills in Edagberi community
- Swimming in crude - Bomu community makes a stand
- No food, no voice - Women speak from Otuasega
- Gas flares
- Human rights
- Community development and empowerment
- Strengthening Transparency and Accountability
- Other organisations working in the Delta
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You are here: > The Issues > Oil spills > Shell publishes Environmental Impact Assessments but does not go far enough
Shell publishes Environmental Impact Assessments but does not go far enough
The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) have published Category 1 Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for all SPDC projects approved since 2005 on their website.
Although this is a welcome move towards greater transparency none of the reports that have been published by Shell relate to the impact assessments of oil spills and other problems related to ageing existing infrastructure.
Post Impact Assessments (PIAs) and Joint Investigation Team reports (JITs) are supposed to be drawn up after every environmental incident in collaboration with local communities and are then supposed to be made publicly available. According to SDN partner CEHRD (Centre for Environment an Human Rights in the Delta) these reports rarely see the light of day and communities claim that these are often falsified or that they are not consulted;
"In virtually every spill cases, our community representative has been either trickily or forcefully asked to countersign the signature page of a blank JIT report form and promised to be given a copy of the completed report later on. SPDC usually go away with the report forms under the watchful eyes of representatives of government regulatory agencies and security operatives with the promise that the report will be completed at their office. Occasionally, JIT reports have been given to us days after the joint inspection had been done, usually undated, having no useful tracking information but the signature page is duly signed by all parties." One Community member told SDN parter organisation CEHRD.
To substantiate their claim CEHRD received a copy of a previously signed but blank JIT report from this community.
SDN calls on Shell and other oil companies operating in the Delta to publish all available Post Impact Assessments and Joint Investigation Team reports immediately and to ensure these are always carried out and published as soon as possible after every oil spill.
A recent Amnesty International report has also questioned the authenticity and absence of reports and assessments on oil spills in the Niger Delta.
