The United States government will soon consider whether or not to finance a natural gas project along the Camisea river in Peru that will cause irreparable damage to pristine forests and rivers and expose indigenous peoples living in voluntary isolation to unwanted contact.
The U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) should invest our tax dollars in local and indigenous development initiatives and not in a billion-dollar extractive project harmful to local communities and the environment.
An independent assessment of the Camisea project published in April 2002 found that the project companies have poor environmental records and that there is little possibility for strict government oversight of such a politically charged project and in such a remote area.
Documentation of impacts that have already occurred demonstrates that neither the project companies, nor Ex-Im or IDB, can bring this project into line with international environmental and social standards. Indeed, revelations in some of the companies’ own monitoring reports raise doubts as to whether the project companies have either the commitment or the technical capacity to do so.
Despite these alarming facts, the project is already moving forward full-steam ahead, while Ex-Im and the IDB consider whether to provide the funding.
By the time Ex-Im and the IDB are scheduled to make their decisions, many of the severe environmental and social impacts will have already become unavoidable. Once the damage is done, there will be little ability for IDB or ExIm to impose conditions on the project’s financing even if they wanted to try to protect the region’s resources and residents.
Should Ex-Im or IDB approve the Camisea project, it will set a terrible precedent and will send a message to companies and governments that they can build first – without respecting environmental, social, and ethnic rights and standards – and find financing from U.S. taxpayers afterward.
The IDB should focus on fulfilling its mission by providing investments that benefit indigenous peoples and the environment while achieving true poverty alleviation in Peru. The Export-Import Bank and recently confirmed Ex-Im Chairman Merrill; the Inter-American Development Bank and IDB President Iglesias; and the U.S. Executive Director of the IDB Jose Forquet should ensure that the Camisea project receives no publicly backed support from Ex-Im or the IDB and is immediately halted. The U.S. Government, Congress, and the concerned public should apply all possible influence towards those aims.
Contacts:
Atossa Soltani, Amazon Watch: 310.456.9158; asoltani@igc.org
Janet Lloyd, Anthropologist, Amazon Watch: janet@amazonwatch.org
Expertise: Camisea, indigenous peoples, Amazon, large-scale development
projects
Aaron Goldzimer, Environmental Defense: (202) 572-3395;
agoldzimer@environmentaldefense.org
Expertise: Camisea, Export-Import Bank
Amy Gray, Bank Information Center: (202) 624-0624; amy@bicusa.org
Expertise: Camisea, IDB policies & projects
Ilyse Hogue, Rainforest Action Network: ihogue@ran.org
Expertise: Camisea
Nadia Martinez, Sustainable Energy and Economy Network (SEEN):
202-234-9382; nmartinez@seen.org
Expertise: Camisea
Jonathan Sohn, Friends of Earth US 720-308-7482; j.sohn@attbi.com
Expertise: Camisea, Bush Administration political dealings, ExIm
