Today, Tuesday November 9th, there will be a public hearing in Anchorage Alaska due to objections from environmental and Native American groups to plans to develop the area involved in a 2008 petroleum lease sale in Alaska's Chukchi Sea.
The former Minerals Management Service-now called the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement-sold leases totaling 2.7 billion dollars, mostly to Shell Oil, in February 2008. The leases involved are in the Chukchi off Alaska's northwest coast.
A subsidiary of Shell had planned to drill exploratory wells in the Chukchi in summer 2010, but that's been put on hold now due to a decision applied by a federal judge, who in siding with Oceanus said that "environmental information was lacking".
Therefore, the hearing scheduled for today will involve The BOEMRE "collecting testimony on the effect of possible natural gas development and whether missing information is essential", while Oceanus is determined to block any further plans for development. Their secret weapon-an expert Hollywood witness.
In this case the "expert" witness is actor Ted Danson of Cheers and Three Men And A Baby fame, and a few other offerings, most of which is even more forgettable than the aforementioned movie. The proof of that being-I've forgotten them. Well, he did portray a curmudgeonly and politically incorrect doctor who smoked and insulted everybody. I think the name of it was "Please Watch My Show, I Know I'm A Leftist Nut But I Promise My Character Isn't".
Recently though he's been in Alaska filming a movie called Everybody Loves Whales, starring Drew Barrymore. Now bear in mind that any actor worth his salt researches every aspect of his role. He doesn't just learn his lines, he learns about the character and situation the character is in, along with every aspect of the personality of the role, to the point that he literally becomes the character he is portraying. This in a very real way tends to make him an expert on every subject involved in his performances.
Ted Danson then happens to be an authentic, expert Bostonian alcoholic ex-baseball player and womanizing bar owner, baby-sitter, diaper changing, chain-smoking, cursing doctor who is politically incorrect and a curmudgeonly devotee of mediocre actresses, whales, and the ocean.
Who better for Oceanus to call to testify at an open public hearing involving the future of oil leases, with potentially billions of dollars at stake.
What will be the basis of Danson's testimony?
Oceana attorney Mike LeVine said Danson's testimony will focus on the lack of basic scientific information about the Chukchi Sea ecosystem.
Well, he is an expert on not knowing jack shit, so maybe he's on pretty solid ground there after all.
