Photo Opportunity and Interviews Available Immediately Following the AGM
WHEN: Friday, May 1, 2009 at 10:30 am
WHERE: Fairmont Miramar Hotel, 101 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
WHAT: A delegation of concerned shareholders, environmental and human rights activists, lawyers and celebrities will once again speak at Occidental Petroleum’s (OXY) annual stockholders meeting to urge the CEO and Board of Directors to address the company’s legacy of harm in the Peruvian Amazon before more Achuar people fall victim to widespread contamination.
WHO: Lily la Torre, Lawyer for the Achuar people in Peru; Representatives from Amazon Watch; Bill Powers, Engineer with E-tech International; Patrick Doherty, New York City Common Retirement Fund; joined by celebrities Daryl Hannah, Q’orianka Kilcher and Benjamin Bratt.
BACKGROUND:
Occidental Petroleum’s oil operations in the Peruvian Amazon have caused massive environmental devastation, and led to a severe public health crisis amongst the Achuar people of the Corrientes River. Oxy faces a lawsuit brought by the Achuar which is currently pending in the Federal Court of Appeals.
Between 1971 and 2000, in order to save several dollars per barrel of oil produced, Oxy deliberately and consciously dumped nine billion barrels of toxic oil by-products directly into rivers and streams used by the Achuar, instead of using the common industry practice of re-injecting it into the ground. This included the dumping of drilling muds, crude oil and wastewater laden with heavy metals and carcinogens into unlined earthen pits – a practice utterly prohibited in its home state of California. Oxy deliberately employed the cheapest and dirtiest extraction methods in Peru – a business decision that led to widespread toxic contamination.
At the height of Oxy’s oil operations in the 1970s and 80s, residents reported that the Corrientes – a fast-flowing river that runs through the Achuar homelands – was covered from bank to bank in oil so thick it was impossible to use canoes.
For every barrel of oil Oxy produced in Peru, it dumped eight barrels of toxic waste into the Amazon. As a result, many Achuar, who use the water for drinking, bathing and cooking, have either died or are experiencing serious health problems. Repeated tests reveal that the majority of Achuar children have dangerous concentrations of lead and cadmium in their blood.
Oxy is being asked to take full responsibility for cleaning up the environmental disaster it left behind when it left the concession after 30 years.
In light of the pending judgment against Chevron in Ecuador, where the California based oil giant faces a $27 billion cleanup bill, a growing group of Oxy investors, including New York City Common Retirement Fund, are concerned that Oxy faces a similar potential massive liability in the Peruvian Amazon. As a result, Oxy shareholders have filed a resolution, which raises concerns about Oxy’s handling of the Peru disaster and are expected to bring this issue to the management of Occidental Petroleum at the meeting on Friday.
Actresses Daryl Hannah and Q’orianka Kilcher (who is of Peruvian indigenous ancestry) have visited Achuar communities in the northern Peruvian rainforest and witnessed the pollution first hand. Along with actor Benjamin Bratt (also of Peruvian indigenous ancestry), they will share their concerns with Occidental Petroleum’s shareholders at the oil company’s annual general meeting on Friday.
