Susanne Goldenberg
Saturday 29 September 2012 09.55 EDT
...Some of the material disclosed by Monnett was later used in court to force the interior department to revoke its approval of Shell's drilling plan, the letter said.
Arctic researchers and environmental campaigns saw the investigation of Monnett as an attempt to discredit or sideline government scientists – and so clear the way for Shell and other oil companies seeking approval to begin drilling in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas.
Shell began drilling its first offshore well in the Chukchi this month but was forced to pull out because of a series of problems in its oil containment system.
"It was a witch hunt. They were looking for anything they could find on Chuck (Monnett) to try to get rid of him or at least try to discredit him," said Richard Steiner, who was the receipient of four of the five unauthorised email releases....
How did I guess ! The petroleum industry will go to any extent to find profits. They don't care about Earth, its scientists or the wildlife they protect. I congratulate Dr. Monnett for standing his ground and becoming the hero everyone needed.
