Shell No Protesters Picket Shell-Sponsored “Promise of the Arctic” Conference in Downtown Seattle, Submit a “Real” Agenda

This is what opportunity looks like! In yellow, the maximum extent of Arctic sea ice cover over the last 30 years. In white and gray, this years record-breaking low. Much more of this will melt over the summer, when Shell plans to hunt for oil in the Chukchi Sea.” title=”>This is what opportunity looks like! In yellow, the maximum extent of Arctic sea ice cover over the last 30 years. In white and gray, this years record-breaking low. Much more of this will melt over the summer, when Shell plans to hunt for oil in the Chukchi Sea. ” width=”500″ height=”281″ />

A day after Terminal 5’s contentious Arctic drilling rig trailed out of Elliott Bay, a Shell-sponsored “Promise of the Arctic: Managing Opportunity Responsibly” conference launched with a continental breakfast in downtown Seattle. Co-sponsored by Foss Maritime, Vigor Industrial, Simrad, Bowhead Transport, the Bering Straits Native Corporation, and the Port of Port Angeles, the conference agenda featured presentations on “resource development” and the future of the maritime industry. Two-day conference attendance at the Renaissance Hotel cost a breezy $595.

Early this morning, a small group of Shell No protesters picketed the conference with leaflets advertising what they called the “real” agenda. Instead of today’s 9 a.m. panel on the capabilities and needs of future maritime operations in the Arctic, the leaflet lists a series of breakout sessions on how to survive a man-made apocalypse (“NEW: Reserve seats on the rocket to Mars”). Protesters also had copies of a “citizen’s arrest warrant” for crimes such as “attempted murder of the planet [Earth]” and, last but not least, “PARKING WITHOUT A PERMIT!” (The last one is real, according to a determination from the City of Seattle. Foss and the Port of Seattle are currently trying to appeal it.)

The Seattle Police Department eventually escorted protesters out of the hotel’s second-floor lobby. From the looks of a video recorded at the time and sent to The Stranger, officers appear to have done a better job than the Port of Seattle, Tukwila, and Auburn police who resorted to roughly shoving protesters out of a port commission public meeting last week.

Here’s the “real” agenda protesters distributed:

THE PROMISE OF THE ARCTIC
PRISTINE PROFITS: Turning Natural Resources Into Dollars

June 16-17, 2015 Renaissance Hotel (515 Madison St, Seattle, WA)

REVISED – The Real Agenda

TUESDAY, JUNE 16

Continental Breakfast, Networking, Backroom Deals
8:00am-9:00am
OUR WORLD: Resources Are Money Waiting To Be Spent
9:00am-9:30am
SWEET DEALS: Current & Planned Resource Exploitation Projects
9:30am-10:30am
DOLLARS AND SENSE: Working Around Regulations
10:30am-12:00pm
INCONVENIENT PEOPLE: Getting Humans Out Of The Way
12:00pm-1:30pm Luncheon Session
BANG FOR BUCK: Paying A Fair Price for Government Officials
1:30pm-3:00pm
WHO’S BOSS: Making Sure Police and Coast Guard Protect Us, Not Them
3:00pm-4:30pm
KEEP THEM FOOLED: Creating Just Enough Jobs To Keep Them Desperate
4:30pm-6:00pm

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17

WHOSE OCEAN? OUR OCEAN!
Making Sure Maritime Operations Serve Corporations, Not People
8:00am-9:00am
WITH ENOUGH DOLLARS: Surviving The Apocalypse We’re Bringing
Breakout Sessions:
• Walled Cities with Comfort and Security
• Bombproof Apartments Underground
• Farms With Airstrips in New Zealand
• NEW: Reserve Seats on the Rocket to Mars
9:00am-10:30am
F.U.F.U.2: World Destruction Opens Untold Opportunities
10:30am-11:00am
WHO & WHAT GOES FIRST: Ignoring The Future, Maximizing Profits
11:00am-12:00pm
Adjourn, shuttles and limousines, condemnation from those who survive, if any 12:00pm