Message From the Editor

At DeSmog we’ve been tracking the impacts of Hurricane Ida in Louisiana. This includes publishing powerful photos showing how toxic smoke from Shell’s Norco plant created an apocalyptic landscape. The photos, taken by Julie Dermansky from around the plant, show how vulnerable fossil fuel facilities are to extreme weather on the Gulf Coast and how that may compound the pollution for their neighbors in Cancer Alley. Take a look here.

Meanwhile, Sharon Kelly has been tracking the story of how crew aboard the ultra-deepwater Noble Globetrotter II drill ship were left to ride out Ida in the Gulf Coast. One crew member aboard described harrowing conditions during the hurricane in an anonymous interview with the CBS affiliate KLFY. And, in a second story, Sharon reports that Noble confirmed that major equipment fell to the seafloor from the drill ship during the hurricane. Read both stories here and here.

Finally, both Sharon and Julie wrote about how residences near where Formosa plans to build a sprawling petrochemical complex were severely impacted by winds from Ida. This includes the home of Goldman Prize Winner Sharon Lavigne who lives in Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’. “This is the worst storm I ever went through,” Lavigne told Julie. “My house is destroyed. I’m not sure it can be fixed.” Read more here.

Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: editor@desmogblog.com.

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

P.S. Readers like you make it possible for DeSmog to hold accountable powerful people in industry and government. Even a $10 or $20 donation helps support DeSmog’s investigative journalism.

After Ida, Toxic Smoke From Shell’s Norco Plant in Louisiana Creates Apocalyptic Landscape

— By Julie Dermansky (6 min. read) —

NORCO, LOUISIANA ​​— For over a century, the Shell Norco Manufacturing Complex has dominated Norco, Louisiana’s skyline as it refines up to 10.1 million gallons of oil a day and produces up to 3.33 billion pounds of ethylene a year.

Shell’s Norco refinery was one of multiple Louisiana oil refineries that shut down on Friday, August 27 as Hurricane Ida gained strength crossing the Gulf of Mexico’s unusually warm waters. Ida made landfall on Sunday, August 29 as a Category 4 hurricane — and remained a hurricane for 16 hours after its official landfall, maintaining strength as it passed over the swampy southern Louisiana coastline.

Crew of Noble Globetrotter II Drill Ship, Left to Ride Out Ida, Reportedly Still Stranded at Sea

— By Sharon Kelly (4 min. read) —

Over 100 crew members aboard an ultra-deepwater drill ship were left to ride out Hurricane Ida in the Gulf of Mexico — and local news reports indicate that the crew remains aboard the damaged ship. The Coast Guard has dispatched a cutter to determine the extent of any damage to the drill ship and to assess the crew’s safety. Four injured crew members have reportedly been evacuated.

On Wednesday, the Coast Guard (USCG) issued a statement on the drill ship’s current status. “The master of the vessel has told the Coast Guard that the vessel is not in distress but information released reportedly from the crew of the Globetrotter II indicates potential issues with safety,” Petty Officer Third Class Gabriel Wisdom said in a statement read to DeSmog, adding that a Coast Guard cutter, the Venturous, was en route to the drill ship “to better determine whether the crew is in any immediate danger and whether the crew should be removed from the vessel.”

Noble Reports Major Equipment Fell to Seafloor as Drill Ship Faced Ida’s Fury

— By Sharon Kelly (4 min. read) —

The Noble Globetrotter II’s lower marine riser package and “several” riser joints detached as the ship was out in the Gulf of Mexico during Hurricane Ida, Noble Corp. confirmed in a press release on Thursday, Sept. 2.

“Initial findings from the ship’s ongoing condition assessment confirm that several riser joints and the lower marine riser package separated from the rig during the storm and sank to the seabed,” Noble wrote.

Hurricane Ida Badly Damages Home of Goldman Prize Winner Sharon Lavigne and Others in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley

— By Julie Dermansky and Sharon Kelly (5 min. read) —

On Sunday afternoon, Hurricane Ida made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, making it one of the most powerful storms to strike Louisiana in recorded history. Ida made landfall on the 16th anniversary of the devastating Hurricane Katrina.

And around 10:00 p.m. that night in St. James Parish, a wind gust from Ida lifted most of the roof from the home of Sharon Lavigne. Lavigne, inside, prayed that the roof wouldn’t fly away entirely, she told DeSmog Monday morning. And indeed, one portion of the roof remained, over a bedroom where the 69-year old retired special-ed teacher sheltered as Ida howled around her. Ida’s sustained wind speeds at the time exceeded 100 miles per hour, National Hurricane Center reports show, with higher gusts.

One Hospital’s Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign Shows Why Biden Should Reverse Trump-Era Pro-Oil Pension Rule

— By Don Lieber (4 min. read) —

I am a surgical technologist (the “pass the scalpel guy” in the operating room) at one of the country’s most prestigious hospitals: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

In September 2019, I organized a fossil fuel pension plan divestment campaign at the hospital. More than 20 doctors, nurses, and other staff signed on to demand our pensions be divested from fossil fuels.

Oil Industry Launches Lobbying Blitz as Congress Targets Fossil Fuel Subsidies

— By Nick Cunningham (5 min. read) —

The oil industry has embarked on a lobbying blitz in an effort to derail any attempts by Congress to repeal fossil fuel subsidies as part of a much broader assault by corporate interests on the $3.5 trillion budget package that Democrats are currently drafting.

In particular, the oil industry is worried about the potential loss of one specific subsidy that they receive: the intangible drilling cost (IDC) deduction. This allows companies to deduct from their taxes the costs of drilling new wells.

COP26 Hires Law Firm That Defended Fossil Fuel Giants Over Environmental Disasters

— By Adam Barnett and Michaela Herrmann (4 min. read) —

The UK government has appointed a law firm with a history of defending fossil fuel companies over environmental disasters to provide legal services for the upcoming COP26 climate summit.

DLA Piper, whose clients have included oil giants Shell, ExxonMobil and BP, was announced on Wednesday as the summit’s “Provider of Legal Services,” meaning the company will “provide general commercial support to COP26 including in respect of sponsorship agreements”. The firm says it is doing the work pro bono.

From the Climate Disinformation Database: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce describes itself as “the world’s largest business organization representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions.” The primary focus of the U.S. Chamber is advocacy and lobbying for pro-business policies. According to the “U.S. Chamber Policy Priorities for 2017,” the group promises to fight against efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The Chamber of Commerce is among the business groups currently lobbying against the Biden Administration’s $3.5 trillion spending plan.

Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database and Koch Network Database.