Greenpeace Israel Say ‘STOP’ to Shale Oil Pilot Project

The Eilla Valley in Israel has a rich history.

In a Biblical story, as a young shepherd, King David is said to have faced the terrifying giant Goliath in this place, and had defeated the hulk by using only a sling and a stone.

Burial caves in the valley testify to the ancient history of the Israeli people.

It’s a pastoral place, recently acclaimed for the wine produced from its vineyards.

And recent discoveries have shown that the valley is rich also in natural resources.

Experts say, about 400 feet underground sits a huge deposit of shale oil, which could eventually produce more oil than Saudi Arabia.

Chief geologist for Israel Energy Initiatives—or IEI—Yuval Bartov, says they have knowledge of there being around 250-billion barrels of oil, rivaling Saudi Arabia's reserves of 264-billion barrels.

The Israeli Ministry of Water and Energy recently licensed the IEI to explore the valley’s reserves and pilot petroleum production.

But there are oppositions.

Headed by Greenpeace, green organizations have set up a "climate camp" in the Eilla Valley, protesting the idea of using the shale oil, which they say creates danger to both man and the environment.

In a recent protest, hundreds of activists and local residents gathered together, forming the letters, “STOP”.

[Sam Daniel, Greenpeace Coordinator, Israel]:
"Because this experiment is small, it won't prove if it is eventually damaging necessarily and it will not show if this is economical for the country."

It uses a method begun by Sweden in the 1940s, which heats the shale rock for months to extract the oil.

Protesters say the specific method proposed by IEI for the utilization of the shale oil has never been successfully used anywhere in the world.

[Sam Daniel, Greenpeace Coordinator, Israel]:
"They have tried some experiment in the US. It's very unclear what the results have been. There are rumors that there’ve been contaminations from the experiment to the water in Colorado. But the company involved does not give information freely. "

The danger lies in the process used to produce oil from the shale—it may contaminate Israel's mountain aquifer, which is the biggest underground water reservoir in Israel.

[Mor Gilboa, Manager, Green Course Student Organization]:
"It's actually about taking the rocks lying 100 to 150 meters underground, melting them, and producing low quality petroleum from them. We are located close to a geological rift, which means we have no idea what the implications of heating the soil to 400 degrees Celsius might be, or the gas pollution, or all that might boil underneath."

NTD spoke to the Israeli Ministry of Water and Energy, who responded: "The IEI Company has been issued a permit … to examine the method and its implications in every respect, including of course, the effect on the environment."

The locals sat down with the activists to discuss the issue.  

[Orit Skoltelski, Society for the Protection of Nature, Israel]:
"The entrepreneurs have a tactic; they're saying, currently we're discussing a pilot, we're not discussing industry—but we are saying it’s not the case. Let's first ask questions about how this industry would be; then we'll ask if it is at all suitable for the State of Israel and the region, and then we'll see whether or not to do a pilot."

The Ministry's response was: "This is a severe procedure that includes a stage of hearings and taking into account public opposition, as well as relating to environmental aspects."

The Man, Nature, & Law organization has appealed to the High Court of Justice requesting to stop the pilot, and a court hearing is expected soon.

It’s been a long time since David and Goliath and the Eilla Valley is now experiencing another battle; this time between a group of locals and environmentalists who are concerned over the region’s preservation, and the oil industrialists who are hungry for resources.

NTD News, Israel.

Phographer: Michael Ash

Reporter: Aviva-Marlene Grunpeter