Wilderness Society to testify at Chevron AGM in Texas tomorrow

MEDIA RELEASE
Wednesday 26 May 2010

Wilderness Society to testify at Chevron AGM in Texas tomorrow

US oil spill disaster highlights threat to the Kimberley, Western Australia

Houston, Texas – As world attention focuses on the unfolding oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, The Wilderness Society is in Houston to draw attention to the role of Chevron, BP, Shell, BHP Billiton and Woodside in threatening the internationally significant Kimberley coast.

Wilderness Society representative, Josh Coates, is testifying at the Chevron AGM

Community leaders from around the world, including Australia, have gathered in Houston for the Chevron AGM to reveal the abuses inflicted on people and the environment by the petroleum industry.

“The Wilderness Society is determined that the threat from the proposed onshore processing of gas in an internationally significant environment, which is home to the world’s largest humpback whale nursery, does not go unnoticed.

“BP, together with Chevron, is one of the joint venture partners proposed industrial gas site at James Price Point, north of Broome..

“We will testify at the Chevron annual general meeting tomorrow, informing the executives, board and shareholders of the environmental cost of pursuing an industrial gas site on the pristine Kimberley coast.” said Wilderness Society representative, Josh Coates.

“It is clear there are alternatives available, including floating LNG technology or piping the gas to existing infrastructure in the Pilbara.”

Activists will expose the true cost of Chevron—the largest lease holder in the Gulf of Mexico, with rigs owned and operated by Transocean—and will challenge the company on key issues of human rights, environment, public health, Indigenous rights, and more abuses in advance of Chevron’s AGM on Wednesday, May 26/27.

The True Cost of Chevron: An Alternative Annual Report written by dozens of authors from 16 countries, will be officially launched on 26th May.

The Wilderness Society contributed a chapter to the report, which focuses on the impacts of the proposed LNG industrial gas site on the Kimberley coast. The report is available at www.truecostofchevron.com


Media contacts: Josh Coates: (c/- Terri Shore) +1 707-583-4428
josh.coates@wilderness.org.au – images and callback available on request.

Peter Robertson (WA): 0409 089 020