Foes of Arctic oil drilling protest at Fountain Valley Shell station

A small group of protesters rallied in front of a Shell gas station in Fountain Valley on Wednesday to express their disapproval of the corporation’s oil drilling plans for the Arctic Ocean off Alaska.

Members of Greenpeace Huntington Beach marched along the sidewalk at Brookhurst Street and Talbert Avenue during evening rush-hour traffic.

Meanwhile, singer Charlotte Church sang Wednesday in front of Royal Dutch Shell’s headquarters in London during a protest of the Arctic operations, according to the Guardian newspaper.

“The drilling is going to be so awful for the environment,� said Brooke LaDouceur, a Greenpeace Huntington Beach member. “On [Aug. 17], the Obama administration just approved [Shell’s] permits to go ahead and start drilling. We had planned the rally before that happened, but obviously now it’s even more important that we raise awareness about this.�

Representatives of the Shell station declined to comment.

Shell plans to use two rigs to explore and drill for oil in the Chuchki Sea during the next two summers.

LaDouceur, 20, of Huntington Beach, said she is concerned about an oil spill occurring during drilling.

A February report from the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management stated there is a 75% chance of one or more spills during the drilling session, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“We remain committed to operating safely and responsibly and adding to Shell’s long history of exploration [in] offshore Alaska,� Shell spokesman Curtis Smith wrote in an email. “We have reason to believe the acreage offshore Alaska is home to some of the most prolific undeveloped hydrocarbon basins in the world. The only way to know for sure is to drill.�

Smith added that the company “respect[s] the choice that anyone might make to protest based on Shell’s Arctic aspirations. We just ask that they do so safely and within the boundaries of the law.�