Shell withdraws Pierre Mine project application

Royal Dutch Shell PLC has scrapped its plans for the Pierre River Mine project, proposed for within the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation’s protection zone north of the Firebag River. In a news release issued Feb.23, the ACFN says cancellation of the project is a “clear sign that oil sands development is no longer business as usual. Now more than ever we can see the serious economic, environmental and Treaty rights issues in the region are affecting the status quo of business.” The Globe and Mail reports that Pierre River Mine is another project scuttled by the steep decline in oil prices since last summer. Shell says it will hold on to the Pierre River leases and may apply to build the project in the future. Shell applied to build Pierre River in 2007 and initially planned to start production in 2010. The ACFN launched numerous legal challenges of the regulatory process in the region and participated as interveners of the project since the beginning. “We need to take advantage of this economic downturn and change to ensure the necessary steps are taken to safeguard the future for our people, our rights, and our environment. Like Shell, we need to focus on existing operations and find effective ways to mitigate current development in the region and move to a prosperous and new future,” said ACFN Chief Allan Adam.