Please Endorse Letter on US International Oil Aid
Graham Saul
*************ESPANOL ABAJO************
Roughly 100 organizations from the United States, Eastern Europe, Asia,
Africa and South and Central America have endorsed the letter below
calling on the US Congress to include international oil aid as it moves
to cut subsidies to the oil industry. We have decided to recirculate the
letter (below in English and Spanish) along with a list of endorsements
to date and we are asking organizations from the United States and the
Global South that have not already done so to please send their
endorsement to gra...@priceofoil.org by January 19, 2007.
Foreign assistance should be used to free people from the shackles of
poverty - not subsidize Big Oil.
Graham Saul
Oil Change International
www.priceofoil.org
gra...@priceofoil.org
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Dear Speaker Pelosi:
We, the undersigned representatives of development, environment, human,
community, and indigenous rights groups around the world were greatly
encouraged to learn of your pledge to repeal United States government
tax breaks and other giveaways benefiting Big Oil. These giveaways
include billions in project specific and structural assistance from
international financial institutions and export and development
agencies. We sincerely hope that recent developments in the United
States Congress will lead to real changes in US global energy policy.
Your leadership in Congress led to the passage of the 1989 “Pelosi
Amendment”, which was enacted as part of the International Development
and Finance Act of 1989, and prevents the U.S. executive director at the
International Development Bank from voting to approve any project that
would have a significant impact on the environment unless an
environmental assessment is made publicly available.
Your amendment was a critical step towards accountability and
sustainability and communities around the world continue to benefit from
it. We are writing today to ask you again for your leadership on
international development policy.
In late 2003, the World Bank’s Extractive Industries Review recommended
that “The World Bank Group should phase out investments in oil
production by 2008 and devote its scarce resources to investments in
renewable energy resource development…”. Although the World Bank has
ignored this central recommendation of its own report, we wish to
underscore it with you, and we respectfully request that the United
States formally back this shift in funding priorities as part of your
commitment to fighting poverty, climate change, and corporate welfare.
The U.S.-funded World Bank Group has provided more than $5 billion to
oil extraction projects since 1992, while devoting only five percent of
its energy budget to clean, renewable energy sources. Moreover, in the
oil sector, 82 percent of the World Bank's approved finance goes to
projects that export to the North.^ These projects are not about
alleviating energy poverty – they're about corporate welfare for Big Oil
and feeding oil addiction in the US and Europe.
U.S. export credit agencies are also providing substantial subsidies to
the oil sector. Since 1995, Ex-Im has provided $9.8 billion in financing
for international oil projects such as oil and gas extraction projects
and pipelines, and OPIC has provided $5.4 billion in such financing.
During that period, Exxon Mobil received a combined $972 million in
financing from Ex-Im and OPIC; Chevron Texaco received a combined $475
million from the two agencies; and BP has received a combined $157
million in financing. These projects fuel global warming, encourage oil
dependence, and increase conflict and poverty around the world.
Oil companies are benefiting from this “oil aid” at the same time that
they register record profits. As independent research has increasingly
indicated, the oil industry is hindering, not promoting, development in
poor countries, sinking oil-producing countries deeper into poverty and
economic inequality. Continued oil dependence has a distorting impact on
the world’s poorest countries at a time of high oil prices, thereby
undermining the benefits of debt cancellation and harming the very
countries that international institutions like the World Bank should be
helping.
Ending oil aid and focusing on supporting truly sustainable energy
alternatives would be an important step in addressing energy poverty and
catalyzing new renewable energy. As the US Congress acts to repeal tax
breaks and other handouts for oil companies, we hope that you will also
work to end international assistance to Big Oil.
Sincerely,
Nii Akuetteh, Africa Action, USA
Manish Bapna, Bank Information Center, USA
Diana Bohn, Nicaragua Center for Community Action, USA
Mike Brune, Rainforest Action Network, USA
Michael Cox, California Student Sustainability Coalition, USA
Kira Christie, Americans for Informed Democracy, USA
Marie Dennis, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, USA
Sameer Dossani, 50 Years Is Enough: U.S. Network for Global Economic
Justice, USA
Al Gedicks, Center for Alternative Mining Development Policy, USA
Christine Halvorson, Rainforest Foundation, USA
Wenonah Hauter, Food & Water Watch, USA
Valerie Heinonen, Dominican Sisters of Hope, Sisters of Mercy Regional
Community of Detroit, and Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk-U.S. Province, USA
Steve Kretzmann and Graham Saul, Oil Change International, USA
Denny Larson, Global Community Monitor, USA
Lillian Manzella, EarthRights International, USA
Michael Mariotte, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, USA
Joan Mencher, Second Chance Foundation, USA
Stephen Mills, Sierra Club, USA
Kirsten Moller, Global Exchange, USA
Sr. Ann Oestreich, Sisters of the Holy Cross, Congregation Justice
Committee, USA
Diana Oleskevich, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, USA
Paula Palmer, Global Response, USA
Álvaro J. de Regil, The Jus Semper Global Alliance, USA
Kathleen Rogers, Earth Day Network, USA
Anne Rolfes, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, USA
Sister Annette M. Sinagra, Adrian Dominican Sisters, USA
Alice Slater, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, USA
Atossa Soltani, Amazon Watch, USA
Trevor Stevenson and Juanita Cabrera-Lopez, Amazon Alliance, USA
Nathalie Walker & Monique Harden, Advocates for Environmental Human
Rights, USA
David Waskow, Friends of the Earth US, USA
Neil Watkins, Jubilee USA Network, USA
Kate Watters, Crude Accountability, USA
Jamye Wooten, Kinetics-Faith in Motion, Inc., USA
Daphne Wysham, Institute for Policy Studies, USA
*Organizations from – or with members in – areas where US bilateral and
multilateral foreign assistance is active:*
Yakubu Zakaria, Grassroots Africa, Ghana
Dilbar Zainutdinova, Center "Armon", Uzbekistan
Sujin Yim, Citizens' Movement for Environmental Justice/Youth for
Climate Justice, South Korea
Ivonne Yanez, Oilwatch South America, Ecuador
Shailendra Yashwant, Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Thailand
Richard Worthington, Earthlife Africa, South Africa
Etiosa Uyigue, Community Research and Development Centre (CREDC), Nigeria
David Ugolor, African Network for Environment and Economic Justice
(ANEEJ), Nigeria
Sergey Solyanik, Green Salvation, Kazakhstan
Moekti H. Soejachmoen and Nyoman Iswarayoga, Yayasan Pelangi, Indonesia
Dana Sadykova, Karaganda EcoMuseum, Kazakhstan
Denis Rojas, Asociacion Civil Labor-FOE, Peru
Anna Roggenbuck, Polish Green Network, Poland
Himayat Rizvanqizi, Himayadar Humanitarian Organization, Azerbaijan
Cesar Augusto Guimarães Pereira, Coletivo Alternativa Verde (CAVE), Brazil
Bobby Peek, groundWork, South Africa
Daniel Owusu-Koranteng, WACAM, Ghana
Asume Osuoka, Social Action, Nigeria
Lidy Nacpil, Jubilee South, Coordinated from the Philippines
Reinford Mwangonde, Citizens For Justice-(CFJ), Malawi
Charles Mutasa, African Forum and Network on Debt and Development, Zimbabwe
Alena Miskun, National Ecological Centre of Ukraine, Ukraine
Thuli Makama, Yonge Nawe, Swaziland
Sara Larrain, Programa Chile Sustentable, Chile
Dmitry Lisitsyn, Sakhalin Environment Watch, Russia
Vladimir Krainyuk & Julia Ossipova, Resources Informational Analytical
Center: Wildlife Laboratory, Kazakhstan
Agbozo Komlavi, Jeunes Volontaires pour l'Environnement, Togo
Zakir Kibria, BanglaPraxis, Bangladesh
Keanaia Karikpo, OilWatch International, Coordinated from Nigeria
Paul L. Johnson, THARSATH - Rain Water Harvesting, Pakistan
Etienne De Jonghe, Pax Christi International, Belgium
Shynar Izteleyova, TAN, Kazakhstan
Richard Ingwe, Centre for Research and Action on Developing Locales,
regions and the Environment (CRADLE), Nigeria
Petr Hlobil, Central and Eastern European Bankwatch Network, Czech Republic
Longgena Ginting, Friends of the Earth International, Netherlands
Mirvari Gahramanli, Oil Workers Rights Protection Public Union, Azerbaijan
Rhodele Gabac, United Front to Oust Oil Depot, (UFO-OD), Philippines
Ekpok Erokoro, Citizens for Environmental Safety (CES), Nigeria
Desmond D'Sa, South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, South Africa
Thabsile Dlamini, Consumer Association of Swaziland, Swaziland
Demba Moussa Dembele, African Forum on Alternatives, Senegal
Galina Chernova, Globus, Kazakhstan
Pietro Berardi, Renewable Energy Association of Swaziland, Swaziland
Nnimmo Bassey, Environmental Rights Action (ERA), Nigeria
Soren Ambrose, Solidarity Network Africa, Kenya
Edith Abilogo, Centre for Environment and Development, Cameroon
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aproximadamente 100 organizaciones de Estados Unidos, Europa del Este,
Asia, África, América Central y Sudamérica han aprobado la carta que
abajo adjunto. Esta carta exige al Congreso estadounidense que en la
reducción de los subsidios que se otorgan a la industria del petróleo, se
incluya la ayuda petrolera internacional. Hemos
decidido circular nuevamente la carta (versiones en Inglés y Español
abajo) junto con una lista de quienes la apoyan a la fecha. Estamos
pidiendo a las organizaciones de los Estados Unidos y el Sur Global que
todavía no han firmado esta carta, que envien su firma a:
gra...@priceofoil.org <mailto:gra...@priceofoil.org> a más
tardar el día 19 de Enero de 2007.
***
Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Presidenta de la Cámara de Representantes.
Estimada Presidenta Pelosi,
Nosotros, los abajo firmantes representantes de grupos de derechos
humanos, comunitarios, indígenas, de desarrollo y de medio ambiente de
todo el mundo, fuimos gratamente alentados al conocer su compromiso para
revocar los beneficios fiscales y otros regalos que benefician a las
grandes trasnacionales petroleras. Estos estímulos incluyen billones en
proyectos específicos y asistencia estructural por parte de
instituciones financieras internacionales y agencias de desarrollo de
las exportaciones. Sinceramente esperamos que los recientes sucesos en
el Congreso de los Estados Unidos conducirán hacia cambios reales en la
política global de energía de los Estados Unidos.
Su liderazgo en el Congreso llevo a la aprobación de la “Enmienda
Pelosi” en 1989, la cual fue promulgada como parte de la Ley de
Desarrollo Internacional y Finanzas de 1989 (International Development
and Finance Act of 1989), y la cual impide al director ejecutivo
estadounidense del Banco de Desarrollo Internacional votar la aprobación
de cualquier proyecto que tendría un impacto significativo en el medio
ambiente a menos que una evaluación ambiental sea disponible para el
público.
Su enmienda fue un paso crítico hacia la sustentabilidad y obligación de
responder por actos pasados. Muchas comunidades se continúan
beneficiándose de este paso crítico. Hoy le escribimos para preguntarle
nuevamente por su liderazgo en política internacional de desarrollo.
A finales de 2003, la Revisión de las Industrias Extractivas del Banco
Mundial recomendó que “El Grupo Banco Mundial debe retirar
paulatinamente las inversiones en la producción petrolera hacia 2008 y
dedicar sus escasos recursos hacia las inversiones en el desarrollo de
la energía renovable…”. Aunque el Banco Mundial ha ignorado esta
recomendación central de su propio informe, deseamos subrayárselo a
usted, y le solicitamos respetuosamente que los Estados Unidos respalden
formalmente este cambio en las prioridades de financiamiento como parte
de su compromiso para luchar contra la pobreza, el cambio climático, y
la asistencia corporativa.
El Banco Mundial - financiado por los Estados Unidos - ha destinado más
de $5 billones a proyectos de extracción petrolera desde 1992, mientras
que dedicó solamente cinco por ciento de su presupuesto para la energía
hacia fuentes de energía renovable y limpia. Además, en el sector
petrolero, 82 por ciento de las finanzas del Banco Mundial aprobadas se
destinan a proyectos que exportan hacia el Norte. Estos proyectos no
buscan el mejoramiento de la pobreza energética, se trata más bien de la
asistencia corporativa a las grandes petroleras y de alimentar la
adicción al petróleo en los Estados Unidos y Europa.
Las agencias de crédito para la exportación también están proveyendo
subsidios sustanciales al sector petrolero. Desde 1995, Ex-Im ha
proveído con $9.8 billones al financiamiento de proyectos petroleros
como la extracción de gas y petróleo y los ductos; la OPIC ha proveído
con $5.4 billones a este tipo de financiamiento. Durante este periodo,
Exxon Mobil recibió un total de $972 millones en financiamiento de parte
de Ex-Im y OPIC; Chevron Texaco recibió un total de $475 millones de
parte de las dos agencias; y BP ha recibido $157 millones de ellas.
Estos proyectos impulsan el calentamiento global, estimulan la
dependencia sobre el petróleo, e incrementan los conflictos y la pobreza
alrededor del mundo.
Las compañías petroleras se están beneficiando de esta “ayuda petrolera”
al mismo tiempo que registran ganancias récord. Como lo han señalado
crecientemente las investigaciones independientes, la industria del
petróleo está impidiendo, no promoviendo, el desarrollo en los países
pobres, hundiendo profundamente a los países productores de petróleo en
pobreza y desigualdad económica. En un tiempo de altos precios del
petróleo, la continua dependencia petrolera tiene un impacto
distorsionado sobre los países más pobres del mundo de tal manera que se
aminoren los beneficios de la cancelación de la deuda y se dañen a los
mismo países que el Banco Mundial debería de estar ayudando.
Un paso importante para enfrentarse a la pobreza energética y catalizar
a las nuevas energías renovables, sería poner fin a la ayuda petrolera y
concentrarse en apoyar alternativas de energía sustentable auténticas.
Mientras el Congreso de los Estados Unidos actúe para revocar los
beneficios fiscales y otras dádivas para las compañías petroleras,
esperamos que usted trabaje también para poner fin a la asistencia
internacional a las grandes petroleras.
Sinceramente,
Nii Akuetteh, Africa Action, USA
Manish Bapna, Bank Information Center, USA
Diana Bohn, Nicaragua Center for Community Action, USA
Mike Brune, Rainforest Action Network, USA
Michael Cox, California Student Sustainability Coalition, USA
Kira Christie, Americans for Informed Democracy, USA
Marie Dennis, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, USA
Sameer Dossani, 50 Years Is Enough: U.S. Network for Global Economic
Justice, USA
Al Gedicks, Center for Alternative Mining Development Policy, USA
Christine Halvorson, Rainforest Foundation, USA
Wenonah Hauter, Food & Water Watch, USA
Valerie Heinonen, Dominican Sisters of Hope, Sisters of Mercy Regional
Community of Detroit, and Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk-U.S. Province, USA
Steve Kretzmann and Graham Saul, Oil Change International, USA
Denny Larson, Global Community Monitor, USA
Lillian Manzella, EarthRights International, USA
Michael Mariotte, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, USA
Joan Mencher, Second Chance Foundation, USA
Stephen Mills, Sierra Club, USA
Kirsten Moller, Global Exchange, USA
Sr. Ann Oestreich, Sisters of the Holy Cross, Congregation Justice
Committee, USA
Diana Oleskevich, Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, USA
Paula Palmer, Global Response, USA
Álvaro J. de Regil, The Jus Semper Global Alliance, USA
Kathleen Rogers, Earth Day Network, USA
Anne Rolfes, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, USA
Sister Annette M. Sinagra, Adrian Dominican Sisters, USA
Alice Slater, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, USA
Atossa Soltani, Amazon Watch, USA
Trevor Stevenson and Juanita Cabrera-Lopez, Amazon Alliance, USA
Nathalie Walker & Monique Harden, Advocates for Environmental Human
Rights, USA
David Waskow, Friends of the Earth US, USA
Neil Watkins, Jubilee USA Network, USA
Kate Watters, Crude Accountability, USA
Jamye Wooten, Kinetics-Faith in Motion, Inc., USA
Daphne Wysham, Institute for Policy Studies, USA
*Organizations from – or with members in – areas where US bilateral and
multilateral foreign assistance is active:*
Yakubu Zakaria, Grassroots Africa, Ghana
Dilbar Zainutdinova, Center "Armon", Uzbekistan
Sujin Yim, Citizens' Movement for Environmental Justice/Youth for
Climate Justice, South Korea
Ivonne Yanez, Oilwatch South America, Ecuador
Shailendra Yashwant, Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Thailand
Richard Worthington, Earthlife Africa, South Africa
Etiosa Uyigue, Community Research and Development Centre (CREDC), Nigeria
David Ugolor, African Network for Environment and Economic Justice
(ANEEJ), Nigeria
Sergey Solyanik, Green Salvation, Kazakhstan
Moekti H. Soejachmoen and Nyoman Iswarayoga, Yayasan Pelangi, Indonesia
Dana Sadykova, Karaganda EcoMuseum, Kazakhstan
Denis Rojas, Asociacion Civil Labor-FOE, Peru
Anna Roggenbuck, Polish Green Network, Poland
Himayat Rizvanqizi, Himayadar Humanitarian Organization, Azerbaijan
Cesar Augusto Guimarães Pereira, Coletivo Alternativa Verde (CAVE), Brazil
Bobby Peek, groundWork, South Africa
Daniel Owusu-Koranteng, WACAM, Ghana
Asume Osuoka, Social Action, Nigeria
Lidy Nacpil, Jubilee South, Coordinated from the Philippines
Reinford Mwangonde, Citizens For Justice-(CFJ), Malawi
Charles Mutasa, African Forum and Network on Debt and Development, Zimbabwe
Alena Miskun, National Ecological Centre of Ukraine, Ukraine
Thuli Makama, Yonge Nawe, Swaziland
Sara Larrain, Programa Chile Sustentable, Chile
Dmitry Lisitsyn, Sakhalin Environment Watch, Russia
Vladimir Krainyuk & Julia Ossipova, Resources Informational Analytical
Center: Wildlife Laboratory, Kazakhstan
Agbozo Komlavi, Jeunes Volontaires pour l'Environnement, Togo
Zakir Kibria, BanglaPraxis, Bangladesh
Keanaia Karikpo, OilWatch International, Coordinated from Nigeria
Paul L. Johnson, THARSATH - Rain Water Harvesting, Pakistan
Etienne De Jonghe, Pax Christi International, Belgium
Shynar Izteleyova, TAN, Kazakhstan
Richard Ingwe, Centre for Research and Action on Developing Locales,
regions and the Environment (CRADLE), Nigeria
Petr Hlobil, Central and Eastern European Bankwatch Network, Czech Republic
Longgena Ginting, Friends of the Earth International, Netherlands
Mirvari Gahramanli, Oil Workers Rights Protection Public Union, Azerbaijan
Rhodele Gabac, United Front to Oust Oil Depot, (UFO-OD), Philippines
Ekpok Erokoro, Citizens for Environmental Safety (CES), Nigeria
Desmond D'Sa, South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, South Africa
Thabsile Dlamini, Consumer Association of Swaziland, Swaziland
Demba Moussa Dembele, African Forum on Alternatives, Senegal
Galina Chernova, Globus, Kazakhstan
Pietro Berardi, Renewable Energy Association of Swaziland, Swaziland
Nnimmo Bassey, Environmental Rights Action (ERA), Nigeria
Soren Ambrose, Solidarity Network Africa, Kenya
Edith Abilogo, Centre for Environment and Development, Cameroon