Posts under ‘United States’

Shater v. Shell Oil Co. A spectacular falling out of corporate spies

By John Donovan: 3 Dec 2022

Shater v. Shell Oil Co

USDC No. 4:20-CV-1465

The above US court case involves many members of Shell Corporate Securities, including the head of Shell Global Security James WD Hall.

Links to the latest court decisions filed on 28 November 2022.

Shater Judgement 28 Nov 2022

(November 28, 2022 MEMORANDUM TO COUNSEL OR PARTIES LISTED BELOW Regarding: Fifth Circuit Statement on Petitions for Rehearing or Rehearing En Banc No. 22-20289 Shater v. Shell Oil Co USDC No. 4:20-CV-1465) read more

British Spies, British Lies (James Hall vs Walied Shater)

I have never before seen a court document containing so many allegations of repeated lies by a top-level Shell official, supported by copious similar fact evidence of his alleged deceit.

By John Donovan

I reported in August 1917 that Mr Crockett Oaks III, Shell security manager for the Americas, received a ‘big bucks’ court case settlement from Shell.

The litigation arose from an alleged pattern of discrimination in favour of ‘White Brits’ by Shell and Shell Corporate Security VP James WD Hall, a British national.

Mr Hall is a security professional who worked in an undisclosed position purportedly in the British Foreign Office (MI6?) before his long career at Shell. 

Mr Hall has faced a succession of accusers on the same race/national origin grounds starting with Crockett Oaks III. 

The second case was brought by Mr Mike Oliveri, another gentleman with a military/security affairs background. Mr Oliveri is a decorated war veteran – a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Mr Hall’s current accuser is Mr Walied Shater a former US Secret Service agent.  read more

Reuters

Russian court rules local Shell JV to move under Moscow control -Ifx

MOSCOW – A Russian court ruled on Monday that Salym Petroleum Development (SPD), a joint venture between Shell and Gazprom Neft, should be transferred to Russian jurisdiction, Interfax news agency reported, citing the verdict.

Kommersant daily reported last week that Gazprom Neft was suing to have its Salym Petroleum Development joint venture with Shell be transferred to Russian jurisdiction, and for Shell’s shareholding rights to be suspended. read more

The Sun

PURE GREED: How fatcat energy bosses will bank a staggering £15 MILLION as terrified hard-up Brits choose heating or eating

• Emma Pietras
• 22:37, 10 Aug 2022
• Updated: 9:09, 11 Aug 2022

IT is High Noon for the energy fatcats today as they drag their expensively-dressed behinds into showdown talks with the Chancellor.

As The Sun revealed yesterday, Nadhim Zahawi has summoned gas and electricity bosses in to explain just how much cash they are making out of the energy crisis.

It comes as energy experts at Auxilione revealed energy bills could reach over £5,000 next year and Martin Lewis warned the crisis could put lives at risk.

Zahawi and Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng wil also demand to know what investment they plan to make with their soaring profits. read more

Court filing confirms that Shell settled a claim from Crockett Oaks III involving serious allegations against Shell and Shell Spymaster James W.D. Hall

By John Donovan

I reported in August 1917 that Mr Crockett Oaks III, Shell security manager for the Americas, received a ‘big bucks’ court case settlement from Shell.

The litigation arose from an alleged pattern of discrimination in favour of ‘White Brits’ by Shell and Shell Corporate Security VP James WD Hall, a British national. read more

Families are leaving Beaver County as Shell’s ethane cracker sets to open

By Reid Frazier | The Allegheny Front

Cheryl and Luke Hardy moved to Beaver County in 2012. Luke came from Albany, New York, where he was finishing graduate school, and Cheryl, from Washington, D.C.

The location of Beaver County was equidistant from their jobs – Luke’s at a university in Ohio and Cheryl’s in the Pittsburgh suburbs.

They eventually bought a house in Beaver, an attractive town on the Ohio River with historic homes and a walkable business district. The couple enjoyed events and festivals in town and going to restaurants there. When their children were born, they walked them to a nearby playground and thought of someday walking them to the nearby elementary school.

They barely noticed in 2016 when Shell announced it was building a multi-billion dollar plastics plant, called an ethane cracker, across the river. As construction workers began building the massive plant, it became harder to ignore every time they drove their kids to daycare. read more

REUTERS

Shell places U.S. Gulf of Mexico assets up for sale -sources

Reuters: David French and Ron Bousso: Publishing date: Jul 20, 2022 

NEW YORK/LONDON — Shell is exploring a sale of its stakes in two U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil and gas developments which could raise as much as $1.5 billion for the energy major, people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

Potential divestments of some aging assets would allow the company to focus on newer and larger fields around the world, including its giant Whale development in the Gulf which is expected to start production in 2024, the sources said. read more

FT: Shell takes to TikTok as oil groups try to boost credentials during energy crisis

Aime Williams in Washington and Camilla Hodgson in London

Shell is recruiting a manager for its TikTok channel to influence a generation that uses the social media platform known for short videos, as oil and gas companies pump money into advertising campaigns to improve their public image during the energy crisis.

The social media push comes as US and British companies take advantage of supply shortages due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and attempt to persuade the public their products are a matter of national security. read more

Newsweek

Fact Check: Was Amy Coney Barrett’s Father an Attorney for Shell Oil?

The U.S. Supreme Court‘s recent decision to rule against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a highly important case about carbon emissions has led to criticism of the six justices who voted in the majority.

The Court found that the EPA can no longer regulate emissions from U.S. power plants, with the three liberal justices dissenting in one of the final cases of this judicial term.

Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett was part of the majority and many critics took to social media to claim that Barrett’s father had once been worked for Shell, a major oil company, and suggested that that had informed her decision-making. read more

Shell launches residential power brand Shell Energy, enters Texas market with 100% renewable electricity plans

NEWS PROVIDED BY Shell USA, Inc. : Jun 07, 2022, 10:00 ET

HOUSTON, June 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Shell today announced the launch of the Shell Energy brand into the residential power market in the United States. Through Shell Energy Solutions (“Shell Energy”) the company now offers 100% renewable electricity plans to eligible customers in Texas, expanding its portfolio of offerings and giving residential customers access to renewable electricity plans while building on the trusted relationships the company has built with Texans over decades. read more

The New York Times

Shell, the Oil Giant, Will Sell Renewable Energy to Texans

The European oil company has been expanding into green energy even as many U.S. energy giants have kept their focus on fossil fuels.

By Clifford Krauss and Ivan Penn: June 7, 2022 Updated 3:13 p.m. ET

HOUSTON — Shell said on Tuesday that it would begin selling electricity generated from renewable sources to residents and businesses in Texas, a move that brings the European oil company’s shift to green energy to the U.S. market.

The announcement underscores a widening gulf between the strategies of European and U.S. oil companies as elected leaders and consumers demand that the energy industry do more to tackle climate change. European businesses including Shell, BP and TotalEnergies are seeking to expand into renewable energy, electric vehicle charging and other fast-growing businesses as U.S. companies like Exxon Mobil and Chevron mostly keep their focus on oil and gas while investing in capturing carbon from industrial plants and biofuels.

Shell, which already has electricity businesses in nine countries, plans to double the amount of electricity it sells by 2030. The company, which is based in London, is Europe’s largest oil and gas business by revenue and has operations in more than 70 countries, including gas stations, refineries and oil and gas fields. read more

Shell completes acquisition of Landmark fuel and convenience network

Jun 1, 2022

Shell Retail and Convenience Operations LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell Oil Products US (Shell), has completed the acquisition of certain company-owned fuel and convenience retail sites from the Landmark group of companies (Landmark). The acquisition also includes supply agreements for the independently operated fuel and convenience sites.

Building on the strength of its existing networks, this acquisition brings Shell closer to its customers and enhances Shell’s market presence by growing its mobility footprint in a key region in the U.S., which is one of the largest fuels and convenience retail markets in the world. read more

Shell completes acquisition of Landmark fuel and convenience network

Wed, June 1, 2022

HOUSTON, June 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Shell Retail and Convenience Operations LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell Oil Products US (Shell), has completed the acquisition of certain company-owned fuel and convenience retail sites from the Landmark group of companies (Landmark). The acquisition also includes supply agreements for the independently operated fuel and convenience sites.

Building on the strength of its existing networks, this acquisition brings Shell closer to its customers and enhances Shell’s market presence by growing its mobility footprint in a key region in the U.S., which is one of the largest fuels and convenience retail markets in the world. read more

Fortune

Shell CEO points out loopholes in Russian oil sanctions after announcing record profits

Planned embargoes on Russian oil may be thwarted due to the way the global crude supply chain works, Shell’s CEO explained on Thursday.

Speaking after Shell reported record quarterly profits, Ben van Beurden, the oil giant boss, told reporters that the framework of the world’s crude network left loopholes open in Western government bans on Russian oil.

This is because imported fuels like gasoline, which might have been made from Russian oil but refined outside of Russia, cannot always be traced back to their natural source. read more

Shell tightens restrictions on Russian oil buying

April 27 (Reuters) – Shell SHEL.L on Wednesday tightened its restrictions on buying Russian oil, saying it would no longer accept refined products with any Russian content, including blended fuels.

Shell last month said it would phase out buying Russian crude and its involvement in all Russian hydrocarbons from oil to natural gas, after facing an uproar over buying a Russian crude cargo in the days following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. read more

Ukraine brands Shell ‘deplorable’ after accusing it of using an ‘accounting trick’ to keep buying Russian oil

By LUCY WHITE FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 21:54, 22 April 2022 | UPDATED: 09:52, 23 April 2022

Ukraine’s government has branded Shell ‘deplorable’ after accusing it of using an ‘accounting trick’ to keep buying Russian oil.

Officials in Kyiv said Western companies were continuing to ‘bankroll Putin’s war machine’ despite promising to cut ties with the Kremlin. read more