Russian communities clean up oil spill as company does nothing

[Joe Shlabotnik]

On Sunday 26 May, oil began flowing down the Kolva River through Komi indigenous land in northern Russia. For a week now, the oil has been coating the river and building up on the banks, with no reaction from Rusvietpetro, the joint venture company of VietPetro and Zarubezhneft, a state-controlled Russian oil company, and no cleanup being organised by the company or even the local authorities.

There has not been a word to the communities about how they will clean up the spill, not a word to their investors that the spill is even happening, and almost zero coverage by local and national media. And now the oil has reached the Pechora River, which flows into the Arctic Ocean.

Greenpeace Russia obtained photos from allies at the Save the Pechora Committee, an organisation that is on the ground there now, documenting the spill and the Komi indigenous peoples who are being forced to clean it up themselves. They have no idea how much oil has already spilled into their waterways, but based on the number of barrels they’ve filled already and the amount of oil left, they estimate it at 100 tonnes, or roughly 730 barrels.

...The meeting was not to announce the administration’s plan to deal with this oil spill that was endangering the health and drinking supply of the local people — instead, the head of Usinsk district, Alexander Tian, announced to the residents: "If you do not want to breath in oil fumes, you should take a boat out and remove the oil yourself!" According to one resident who was there, he then offered 10,000 rubles (250E) per barrel of oil that people collected (approximately 250 euros).

http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/blog/climate/russian-communities-clean-oil-spill-company-does-nothing-20130605

Bootstraps, people! ....Rubber-bootstraps.

[Scootaloo]

1. ...ANd expect them to be sued for "stealing" the oil!

I wish I were being facetious. I really, really wish.