The tax on potash extraction is 0.5% of the resource value; molybdenum extraction is taxed at 0.125%; and all other extracted resources are taxed at 0.75%.
Shell claimed that spending such an amount to protect a small area of remote, low resource value, deep sea was pointless and this money could be much more constructively spent.
This allows for legal challenges to be made to administrative decisions made by the state in regards water appropriations where natural resource values are affected.
This includes management for aesthetics, fish, recreation, urban values, water, wilderness, wildlife, wood products, forest genetic resources and other forest resource values.