Newsmagazine Summer 2010

OF THE
FRIENDS EARTH
www.foe.org | Volume 40, Number 2 | Summer 2010
N E W S M A G A Z I N E
A Crude
Awakening
How We Can Avoid
Another Gulf Tragedy
Costing Oceans
an Arm and a Leg
page 10
A Clean Energy Future:
Available Now
page 14
PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
■
April 22, 2010:
The Beginning of the End
THREE MONTHS into the BP
Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, BP
has finally capped the well and is
now testing to see if it can withstand the pressure building underground until the well is permanently plugged. While the oil blow-out
has been a largely unmitigated disaster for the Gulf Coast and its communities, the response is an important test for the future of the planet. Will April 22, 2010 become our
declaration of independence from
dirty and dangerous fossil fuels, or
will we succumb to political inertia?
Given the ever increasing threat
and realized impacts of global
warming, our response to the
Deepwater Horizon disaster needs
to be comprehensive and transformational. This disaster, and this
moment, must be the catalyst for
moving the United States and the
world off of fossil fuels. What does
this entail?
First, our political system needs
to be detoxified. The vast amount of
corporate campaign cash poisoning
our government must be stopped.
This starts and ends with January’s
Supreme Court assertion in Citizen’s
United that corporations are people,
allowed the same rights as you and
me. Friends of the Earth has joined
the Move To Amend coalition that is
seeking a constitutional amendment to end corporate personhood.
As an immediate response to the
Deepwater Horizon spill, Friends of
the Earth launched a campaign
effort followed by Moveon.org and
CREDO, among others, demanding
2
Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine | Summer 2010
While the oil blow-out has
been a largely unmitigated
disaster for the Gulf Coast
and its communities, the
response is an important
test for the future of the
planet. Will April 22, 2010
become our declaration of
independence from dirty
and dangerous fossil fuels,
or will we succumb to
political inertia?
that members of Congress forsake
campaign contributions from Big
Oil and donate what money they
have already received to Gulf Coast
recovery and restoration.
Detoxification also involves purging the system of subsidies and tax
breaks for dirty fossil fuels. In July,
Friends of the Earth re-launched our
Green Scissors campaign to eliminate wasteful and environmentally
harmful subsidies from the federal
budget. The campaign unites
groups like Public Citizen,
Environment America and
Taxpayers for Common Sense and
identifies more than $200 billion in
cuts that the federal government
could make right now that would
save money and protect the environment.
These are just a couple of initial
steps in the effort to clean up our
government as we clean up the
Gulf, but will go a long way in ending our fossil fuel use. If the
Deepwater Horizon disaster isn’t
convincing enough for the need to
act, look north to the Canadian tar
sands and the destruction that is
occurring in Alberta to extract oil.
Look to the east, across the Atlantic,
at the efforts of Friends of the Earth
Nigeria in fighting the ongoing ecological and human rights disaster in
the Niger Delta caused by oil companies.
Let’s make April 22, 2010 the
beginning of the end of our fossil
fuel dependence.
Erich Pica
President
■
OF THE
INTRODUCTION
FRIENDS EARTH
N E W S M A G A Z I N E
Crude Awakening:
www.foe.org
Volume 40, Number 2
Summer 2010
How We Can Avoid Another Gulf Tragedy
President’s Column . . . 2
Photo credit: USCG
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . 3
Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the off shore oil rig Deepwater Horizon
April 21, 2010.
By Scott Baumgartner
ON APRIL 22, the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon rig sank off the coast of
Louisiana, killing 11 workers. Estimates showed the amount of oil pouring into
the ocean to be more than 60,000 barrels a day, far exceeding the 1989 Exxon
Valdez spill. It’s unquestionably the largest environmental disaster in the history
of the United States.
At the time of writing, BP had reportedly capped the well. This is great news
and we hope that the cap holds and that BP is able to permanently seal the well.
However this story is far from over, and as we continue the cleanup effort we
should be reminded that we can’t continue to consume oil and other fossil fuels as
we have in the past without risking similar disasters.
Crude oil is still washing up on the Florida coast. Projections showed oil entering the Gulf Stream and traveling up the Atlantic seaboard during the summer
months. Pelicans soaked in crude that looked like chocolate sauce were physical
evidence of the unprecedented damage BP’s and the Department of the Interior’s
negligence caused in one of the continent’s most vibrant ecosystems.
And the stories piled up every day: BP’s inept inability to stop the oil from flowing for nearly three months; the devastated livelihoods of local fishermen; BP’s
refusal to stop using toxic dispersants, denial of plainly visible underwater oil
plumes, and underestimation of the oil flow in order to avoid paying fines. If the
noxious vapors from the oil weren’t making enough people sick, the treachery and
brazen greed of BP has disgusted the rest of us.
The scenes of devastation in the Gulf of Mexico -- from the rapidly expanding
blot of oil along the coast to pictures of blackened and dying sea life -- remind
Friends of the Earth of the images of the Santa Monica oil spill and the burning
Cuyahoga River that inspired the first Earth Day and the passage of landmark legislation such as the Clean Water Act. It’s clear that this catastrophe needs to serve
as the clarion call to a new wave of environmental action: putting a price on carbon, getting ourselves off of oil and other fossil fuels, ramping up solar and wind
energy, investing in smart transportation policy, and permanently rejecting false
energy solutions such as nuclear and biofuels.
This issue of our newsmagazine looks at how each aspect of Friends of the
Earth’s work, from international climate negotiations to transportation policy,
works to steer us away from disasters like this one. It’s all important, and we’re
glad to be able to share it with you.
Summer 2010 | Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine
3
Behind the Scenes:
Severin Skolrud . . . . . . . 4
Ethanol Greenwash:
Not Clean, Not Green . 4
Ending Corporate
Control in Congress . . . 6
Earth Friends
Challenge Grant. . . . . . . 7
Trading Away
Peoples' Rights . . . . . . . . 8
Charitable Giving . . . . . 9
Costing Oceans
an Arm and a Leg. . . . 10
Toxic Dispersants
in the Gulf. . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Global Solutions for a
Global Crisis . . . . . . . . . 12
A Clean Energy Future:
Available Now.. . . . . . . 14
The Green Ball . . . . . . . 15
Cover: Aerial photo of the Deepwater
Horizon site, May 19, 2010.
Photo credit: David Rencher.
Cover inset: Friends of the Earth participated in a rally in front of the White House
demanding an end to Big Oil handouts.
Photo credit: Energy Action Coalition.
BEHIND THE SCENES
■
Moving the Clean Energy Revolution:
An Interview with Severin
People and the planet suffer while
corporate polluters’ profits skyrocket.
Europe and China provide excellent
examples of countries investing in
clean, practical, energy-sensitive
transportation alternatives. Unless
we act swiftly and decisively to bring
on the clean energy revolution, we’ll
be left in the dust.
Interview by Kim Huynh
SEVERIN SKOLRUD is the new
Transportation Policy Campaigner at
Friends of the Earth. Read on to find
out how he and Friends of the Earth
are fighting for an oil-free future.
What does the BP oil
catastrophe in the Gulf of
Mexico mean for
transportation policy?
The oil gusher in the Gulf is a visceral reminder that we need a rapid
change in our transportation policy.
Our transportation habits are the
leading reason for our reliance on
oil, and thus, a major part of the reason this spill occurred. Three out of
every five barrels of oil used in the
U.S. go towards transportation. We
have alternative solutions, including
electrification of rail, stronger clean
D I RT Y F U E L S
cars standards, increased fuel taxes,
and walkable, bikeable, public transit-based development. We just need
our officials to have the political
courage to stand up to the oil lobby
and enact them.
Why is it so important for the
U.S. to wean itself off of oil?
Oil is a dirty and dangerous fossil
fuel, and burning it emits pollutants
that aggravate the climate crisis.
What transportation
campaign is Friends of the
Earth working on now?
Currently, we are working on a
report that analyzes states’ transportation plans against their greenhouse emission reduction plans (if
they have any). This report, produced
with Smart Growth America and
NRDC, will determine which states
are ready to combat the drastic
effects transportation has on climate
change.
■
Ethanol Greenwash: Not Clean, Not Green
By Kate McMahon
IT TOOK THE ETHANOL INDUSTRY a
mere two weeks to start chasing the
oil spill ambulance. Ethanol lobbyists
hit the media and government circuits to claim that ethanol is the only
currently viable way to reduce oil
consumption. In an opportunistic letter to President Obama shortly after
the oil spill, one ethanol lobby group,
the Renewable Fuels Association,
stated “the juxtaposition of a green
American farm field and the coppertoned oil slick spreading across the
4
Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine | Summer 2010
Gulf is striking.” But in reality,
ethanol was causing problems in the
Gulf long before the oil disaster.
The Gulf of Mexico is under
severe stress due to a marine Dead
Zone. The Dead Zone appears every
year when agricultural runoff from
the Corn Belt enters the Mississippi
River and travels down to the Gulf,
where the nitrogen-rich runoff creates algae blooms. When the algae
blooms die, they are eaten by bacteria that consume nearly all of the
available oxygen in the water, which
suffocates fish and other marine life.
Research shows a strong correlation between the rise in corn
ethanol production and the growth
of the Dead Zone. This is because
corn production, which requires
massive amounts of fertilizers, has
been expanding rapidly to meet
demands for ethanol. The Dead Zone
has been growing year by year, and
now reaches the size of
Massachusetts in the summer.
In spite of this, Growth Energy,
another ethanol lobby group, plastered ads on TV claiming that,
because “no beaches have been
D I RT Y F U E L S
closed due to ETHANOL spills
[ethanol is] America’s Clean Fuel.”
According to that faulty logic, just
because no beaches have been closed
due to coal or nuclear spills either,
these dirty fuels are “America’s Clean
Fuels” too. Growth Energy quickly
poached media attention after the
Deepwater Horizon disaster by
increasing its ad spending significantly, plastering the metro station
by the U.S. House of Representatives
with the same slogan.
Not surprisingly, the ethanol
lobby neglected to mention the
harmful impact ethanol spills have
on local watersheds and wildlife in
the ads and in the letter to President
Obama. In 2006, 30,000 gallons of
ethanol spilled into waterways in
Minnesota when a train transporting ethanol derailed. In 2008, a biofuel refiner dumped waste into a
river in Missouri and eliminated an
entire population of endangered
mussels. Just last year, 75,000 gallons of ethanol spilled when a train
derailed in Illinois, contaminating
soil and ground water and resulting
in the largest fish kill in Illinois history. Unlike the oil plaguing the Gulf,
ethanol spills cannot be cleaned up.
Pollution isn’t the only problem with
this dirty fuel. Ethanol plants use
four gallons of water to produce
each gallon of ethanol. And that figure doesn’t include the copious
amount of water needed to irrigate
ethanol crops.
The sad part of this story is that
the ethanol industry and the oil
industry, separately claiming to provide salvation for the energy-hungry
masses, are often one and the same.
Despite the friendly green logo, BP is
investing intensely in biofuels from
sugarcane, which involves massive
deforestation and ecosystem destruction in the Amazon and surrounding
areas and aggravates global warm-
ing. BP has also invested in other
dubious biofuels ventures: it provided
$500 million in funding for a partnership with the University of California,
Berkeley to develop biofuels through
synthetic biology – an emerging form
of extreme genetic engineering by
which novel organisms are created.
Unfortunately synthetic biology is far
from green. Amyris Biotechnologies (a
start-up from UC Berkeley whose CEO
was a former BP executive) is about
to open a biofuels plant in Brazil that
would turn sugarcane into diesel
with the help of synthetic yeasts.
Genetic engineering is an unregulated and untried field with potentially
devastating effects if synthetic DNA
should escape or mutate. We have a
right to be skeptical of the promises
made from genetic engineers.
Genetically modified corn and soybeans were forced on the public with
the promise of reducing herbicide
and pesticide use, but herbicide and
pesticide use has only increased.
Instead of providing clean energy,
biofuels are simply the latest scheme
by dirty fuel interests to glean taxpayer dollars out of Washington.
What the ethanol lobby also didn’t
mention in its ads or letter to
President Obama is that more than
$5 billion dollars in tax credits goes
to the oil industry each year for obeying federal purchasing mandates for
ethanol. Dirty ethanol simply funnels
money to the dirty oil industry. In
fact, the ethanol lobby has been
spending millions of dollars to lobby
Congress to extend the ethanol tax
credit for the oil companies. The loud
corn ethanol lobby is why federal
handouts for corn ethanol represent
76 percent of the subsidies for the
entire renewable energy sector,
including cleaner options such as
wind and solar. These numbers are of
course, in addition to the billions of
taxpayer dollars that are handed out
■
Biofuels interns Meena Hussain, Caroline
D'Angelo and Paul-Harvey Weiner hold mock
ads in front of a Growth Energy ad in a DC
Metro station.
for corn, agribusiness, and dirty oil
each year.
The oil spill should spur Congress
into action to support actual clean
energy, rather than continue to bow
to dirty fuels that claim to be clean.
We hope you will stick the ethanol
sticker included in this magazine on
your car, bike or water bottle, and
help us stop dirty fuel industries
from tricking elected officials into
supporting dirty dead ends.
Thanks to Angellah Petruso of San Pedro,
California for the winning bumper sticker slogan. Thanks also to Ryan Polich for volunteering his artistic skills in designing the bumper
sticker. Ryan is a graphic designer and illustrator who lives in Seattle with his wife, who is
also a graphic designer. Friends of the Earth
was introduced to him by his ever-informed
parents, and he hopes to continue being a
friend of the earth in any way he can. You can
see Ryan’s portfolio at
http://www.behance.net/RyanPolich and contact
him at swdesignco@gmail.com.
Summer 2010 | Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine
5
U . S . C L I M AT E L E G I S L AT I O N
■
Ending Corporate Control in Congress
By Kelly Trout
CATASTROPHES like the drilling disaster in the Gulf of Mexico don’t
have to happen. We have a surplus
of existing solutions that can propel
us toward an oil-free and climatesecure future.
Because the federal government
has a vital role to play in catalyzing
this transformation, Friends of the
Earth continues to push Congress to
pass comprehensive climate and
clean energy legislation.
Unfortunately, the latest proposal,
the American Power Act, more closely resembles a polluter wish list.
Introduced by Senators John Kerry
(D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.)
in the wake of the April 20 oil rig
explosion, the bill includes a smor-
EARTH SHARE
gasbord of concessions to corporate
polluters. It would strait-jacket parts
of the Clean Air Act. And it provides
incentives for states to surrender
more of their coastlines to oil rigs.
The result is a bill ridden with loopholes that would enable business-asusual pollution to continue for way
too long and delay the transition to an
economy powered by clean energy.
One good that could emerge from
the oil disaster in the Gulf is motivating more members of the public
to get engaged and demand solutions that protect people and the
planet – not polluters.
There are hopeful signs emerging.
On June 10, a majority of senators
voted down a resolution spearheaded by Senator Lisa Murkowski (RAlaska) and polluter lobbyists that
would have eviscerated the Clean Air
Act as a tool to cut climate pollution.
This was a victory achieved in large
part by citizens across the country—
including more than 30,000 Friends
of the Earth members and
activists—who mobilized to protect
this landmark legislation.
Help Clean Up Our Politics
Go to www.foe.org/bp-ten to see
who’s taken the most BP
money and take action to get
oil money out of Washington.
To call the Washington, D.C.
offices of your members of
Congress, dial the Capitol
Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
Ultimately, our best long-term bet
for achieving comprehensive solutions
to the climate crisis is breaking the
stranglehold corporations have been
tightening around our democracy.
Friends of the Earth is taking corporate polluter influence head-on
with a new campaign urging members of Congress to wipe their campaign accounts clean of the cash
they’ve taken from Big Oil and
donate it to the Gulf Coast Fund.
You can help by calling on your
representative and senators in
Congress to give up their dirty oil
contributions.
■
Giving Through Your Workplace
GIVING through your workplace is a
great way to support Friends of the
Earth’s advocacy for the planet and
all the life it supports.
If your employer participates in
the federal government’s Combined
Federal Campaign (CFC #12067),
United Way, or other workplace giving campaigns, you can support
Friends of the Earth through an
automatic payroll deduction.
6
Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine | Summer 2010
Another great way to give is
through Earth Share, a nationwide
network of leading environmental
organizations that works to educate
the public about the environment and
to provide opportunities to care for
our planet through workplace giving.
For more information or to find
out if Earth Share participates at
your workplace, visit
www.earthshare.org. Friends of the
Earth’s CFC designation number is
12067. For other questions, contact
our membership department at
(866) 217-8499, ext. 212, or
pstocker@foe.org.
CONSERVATION AND THE ENVIRONMENT
DESERVE MORE THAN 2%*
Earth Friends Conservation Fund is supporting our goal to
raise $150,000 with a generous Challenge Grant!
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is the wake-up call that we MUST heed if we want to protect people and wildlife
from devastating oil spills and fight the menace of Global Warming. Together we can get America off oil and
move our country to a clean energy future.
Send your contribution in today to help Friends of the Earth reach the Earth Friends challenge goal!
*Conservation and the environment receive 2% of America’s philanthropic dollars. Most people think it deserves more. Source - Giving USA 2008 Report
TRADE POLICY
■
Trading Away Peoples’ Rights
By Kate Horner
FOR OVER A DECADE, Friends of the
Earth has been fighting against little known provisions in our trade
agreements that grant broad privileges to multinational corporations
and put profits ahead of the public
interest. These trade policies allow
companies to sue governments for
adopting health or environmental
laws that may reduce their current
or future profits.
Unfortunately, our worst nightmares have just come true for our
friends and allies in El Salvador,
which is facing a lawsuit under the
Central American Free Trade
Agreement (CAFTA).
Pacific Rim Mining Corp., a
Canadian-based multinational firm,
wants to establish the El Dorado
project, a massive gold mine in El
Salvador. El Salvador is a small,
densely populated country the size
of Massachusetts, and is one of the
poorest in the Western hemisphere.
The country has precariously few
water resources; it has lost 20 percent of its surface water in the past
20 years, and 95 percent of the
remaining water is reportedly contaminated.
Pacific Rim’s mine would use
cyanide to process ore in the basin
of El Salvador’s largest river, the Rio
Lempa, which provides water to
more than two million residents of
San Salvador, the country’s capital
city. Gold mining is notoriously hard
on water resources and the proposed El Dorado mine would consume around 100 liters of water per
second and use more than two tons
of cyanide per day. In other parts of
Central America gold mining has
exacted a harsh toll on both the
8
Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine | Summer 2010
Miguel Rivera, who is campaigning against the mine, speaks at a press briefing in DC.
environment and people, leaching
cyanide into local water supplies,
contaminating nearby environments with toxins, and sickening
local communities – who remain in
poverty despite the wealth generated by mining.
With gold prices soaring, mining
companies have filed dozens of permits for new mines in El Salvador,
prompting a vigorous national
debate about the role of mining in
the country. The government convened a commission to review mining policy, and communities in
northern El Salvador that would be
impacted by gold mining have
strongly voiced their opposition to
expanded mining. Their concerns
have been echoed by prominent religious and human rights organizations. With public opposition over
the health and environmental implications of mining at a new high,
Pacific Rim never completed the feasibility study necessary to obtain an
operating permit for the El Dorado
project.
In December 2007, a subsidiary of
the firm reincorporated in Nevada
under the name Pac Rim Cayman
LLC. The new U.S. subsidiary then
sent a letter to the Salvadoran government threatening to sue them
under CAFTA. In July 2008, the firm
ceased exploratory drilling at El
Dorado. But by the end of the year, it
formally launched a CAFTA claim for
hundreds of millions in compensation for their “wasted” investment
and “lost” future profits as a result
of El Salvador’s mining safety policy.
The first hearings on this case
began on May 31 in Washington, DC.
TRADE POLICY
In the run-up to this hearing
(which was procedural in nature),
Friends of the Earth hosted and
organized a U.S. advocacy tour for
Miguel Rivera, the founder of ASIC
(Association of Friends of San Isidro
Cabañas), and Vidalina Morales de
Gámez, from the National Coalition
Against Metallic Mining. Rivera and
Morales are community representatives fighting the case and they
shared their experiences with the
U.S. media and Congress. Every day,
these activists demonstrate remarkable personal bravery to fight for
the environment and for their community. Tragically, Miguel’s brother
Marcelo, another prominent antimining activist, was assassinated in
2008.
By early August, the tribunal is
expected to either dismiss the case
or allow hearings on jurisdiction
and standing to proceed. Regardless
of the outcome, Friends of the Earth
remains committed to reforming
trade policy so that companies can
no longer use the threat of international suits to intimidate countries
into settling for large sums of
■
money, or into freezing adoption of
new environmental standards. In
tandem with our friends and colleagues in the labor, religious, and
agriculture communities, we are
committed to passing comprehensive trade reform legislation.
Encouragingly, half of the House
Democratic caucus is a co-sponsor
of The Trade, Reform, Accountability,
Democracy and Employment Act
(TRADE), a progressive bill that
would fix the investor-state lawsuit
provisions and other problems in
our trade agreements.
PLANNED GIVING
■
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Summer 2010 | Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine
9
CLEAN VESSELS
■
Photo credit: Sean Flynn
Costing Oceans an Arm and a Leg
A group of concerned citizens joined hands against oil drilling off Florida's coast as a part of the national campaign Hands Across the Sand, created
by David Rauschkolb of Seaside, FL.
By Neesha Kulkarni
EVEN BEFORE the Deepwater Horizon
disaster, our oceans were under
assault. Oceans are the source of more
than half of the air we breathe and yet
they are under constant threat from
garbage dumped onshore and at sea,
agricultural and municipal runoff,
sewer overflows, oil spills, chemical
dumping and ship pollution. And now
they face the rising specters of ocean
acidification and climate change.
Every year, new species of fish are
added to lists of contaminated
seafood, more beaches are closed due
to fecal bacteria contamination, and
more animals die from ingesting plastic. It is no wonder that when BP’s CEO
Tony Hayward dismissed the amount
of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico
as a small matter in a big ocean and
when others say that the ocean can
handle it, those assertions are met
with disbelief and outrage.
Philippe Cousteau, Jr. probably
summed it up best when he said, “I
could cut my leg off, I could cut my
arm off, I could gouge my eye out, I’d
still probably survive, but not very
well, and that’s what we’re doing to
the ocean. It’s the life support system
of this planet. We’ve been dumping
10
Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine | Summer 2010
in it, we’ve been polluting it, we’ve
been destroying it for decades, and
we’re essentially maiming ourselves…
It’s not a question of whether the
oceans can take anymore. The ocean
can’t take any more. They couldn’t
take any more fifty years ago. The
question is, ‘when are we going to
stop?” The ocean provides the air we
breathe, food we eat, and is a source
of fun and solace and it is fighting for
its life.
One of the hidden polluters of our
oceans and our air are cruise ships.
These giant floating cities visit pristine locations, all the while dumping
sewage, polluted gray water, and oily
bilge water into our oceans and burning dirty bunker fuel, which releases
toxins like nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and particulate matter into the
air. The pollution from cruise ships
dumped into the water can be harmful to marine life and human health.
The toxins released into the air can
cause asthma and other respiratory
illnesses as well as heart problems.
Friends of the Earth has been fighting on multiple fronts to put an end
to the dumping practices of cruise
ships, as well as to the dirty fuel they
use. We fought for, and helped
achieve, the creation of a North
American Emission Control Area
where all vessels, including cruise
ships, will have to burn cleaner fuel
within 200 nautical miles of the U.S.
and Canadian coastlines. We are also
working with Congress to establish
stronger standards for cruise ship discharges in U.S. waters. In May, Friends
of the Earth issued its second annual
Cruise Ship Report Card that grades
cruise ships based on their sewage
discharges and air emissions
(http://www.foe.org/cruisereportcard). The
report card helps consumers choose
cruises that are less polluting to our
oceans and to our air. Like the oil polluting Gulf waters, cruise ship discharges affect marine life, human
health, and people who make their
living off the ocean.
It is time to stop treating our
oceans like a garbage can and an
open sewer. Just as we can make better choices about our oil consumption and support strong legislation to
help end our addiction to oil, we can
help our oceans and ourselves by
making better vacation choices and
supporting legislation to eliminate
and reduce air and water pollution
from cruise ships.
EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
■
Toxic Dispersants in the Gulf
SINCE THE EXPLOSION of Deepwater
Horizon, BP has been using dispersants as part of the cleanup efforts.
But there are several problems with
these chemicals. For one, they don’t
actually clean up the oil. Instead,
they break the oil down into tiny
particles that sink below the surface
of the water. And though not much
scientific research has been done on
dispersants, the research that has
been done points to the conclusion
that dispersants are toxic.
By using more than one million
gallons of dispersant so far, BP has
treated the Gulf of Mexico as its own
special science experiment. Among
the dispersants the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) considers to
be toxic is Corexit, which is the one
being used by BP.
When the EPA told BP that the
company had to stop using Corexit
and find a better alternative, BP
refused. But some alternatives the
EPA has in mind might not be any
better for the environment. One
such dispersant is made by Green
Earth Technologies, and contains
manufactured nanomaterials.
Friends of the Earth and coalition
members have sent a letter to EPA
Administrator Lisa Jackson opposing
the use of this dispersant and asking
that it not be approved.
Manufactured nanomaterials
pose serious health concerns. Many
of them are known to be toxic for
reasons that regulators and scientists do not fully understand. What
we do know is that various manufactured nanomaterials have already
been shown to cause severe harm to
aquatic life. They’ve also exhibited
complex toxicity when they interact
with the human body. Additionally,
manufactured nanomaterials can
quickly bond to other toxic chemicals, and possibly Corexit, which
increases overall toxicity.
Nanomaterials or no nanomaterials, one thing is clear. Dumping
untested toxic particles into the
water, especially in unprecedented
quantities, is a dangerous game in
which the risks outweigh the benefits.
We do not even know the full
nature of these nanomaterials,
because this information is considered a trade secret by their manufacturer. Dispersants, on the whole,
have closely guarded recipes (though
Corexit’s has finally been revealed).
Confidential business information
should never trump public health
concerns. The motives of global business and our economies should be of
service to public health and the
health of our planet. Businesses
should not be solely motivated to
make a profit through secrecy, which
inherently puts our well-being at
risk.
The oil spill that took place in the
Gulf of Mexico is a tragedy shared by
everyone on this planet. If we allow
BP to dump even more toxins into
the already battered Gulf, what
would it say about us? For-profit
companies should not be allowed to
compromise our and the planet’s
well-being just so they can boost
their bottom lines.
Photo credit: U.S. Air Force/Wikimedia Commons
By Scott Baumgartner and
Ian Illuminato
An Air Force Reserve plane drops an oil-dispersing chemical into the Gulf of Mexico May 5, 2010,
as part of the Deepwater Horizon response effort.
Summer 2010 | Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine
11
C L I M AT E N E G O T I AT I O N S
■
Global Solutions for a Global Crisis
Erich Pica denounces BP’s crimes against the Gulf at a citizen’s arrest rally in DC.
By Kim Huynh
THIS YEAR'S 40TH ANNIVERSARY of
Earth Day in the U.S. was fraught
with mounting shock and horror at
the BP catastrophe that precipitated
the deaths of 11 rig workers and that
continues to hemorrhage oil into the
Gulf of Mexico with no end in sight.
Yet in the midst of the disaster, hope
sprung from a normally sleepy town
nestled thousands of miles away in
the Andes.
In Cochabamba, Bolivia, more
than 35,000 participants from 150
countries around the world – ranging from environmental justice
groups to indigenous rights organizations to governmental representatives, United Nations officials, and
heads of state – converged for the
World People's Conference on
12
Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine | Summer 2010
Climate Change and the Rights of
Mother Earth from April 20-22. Not
even a burgeoning Icelandic volcano
could stem the droves convening en
masse in Cochabamba to develop
grassroots solutions to the global climate crisis.
Through an alternative framework to the Copenhagen negotiations that ended in resounding failure last December, the People’s
Conference brought to the table the
notion that equity is the only way to
break the climate stalemate
between the Global North and South
and make progress toward a strong
and just climate treaty. It is the first
inclusive climate summit that truly
addressed the role of civil society
and that respected the power and
knowledge of autonomous peoples'
movements.
The vision and energy from
Cochabamba coupled with the growing demand for a strong, clean energy revolution in the U.S. in the wake
of the BP oil disaster should provide
new momentum for international
climate negotiations culminating in
Cancun this November.
Fortunately, the only thing
spreading faster than the oil gusher
is public outrage. In early June as the
first major U.N. Framework
Convention on Climate Change
negotiating session since
Copenhagen was taking place in
Bonn, Germany, Friends of the Earth
joined Public Citizen, Greenpeace,
Chesapeake Climate Action Network,
and other allies to stage a citizen’s
arrest at BP’s headquarters in downtown Washington, DC.
C L I M AT E N E G O T I AT I O N S
The charges against BP? High
crimes and misdemeanors against
the Gulf Coast and its communities.
BP has the worst safety and environmental record of any oil company
operating in the U.S. and made $14
billion in profits in 2009 alone. As
crude oil oozes unabated into the
Gulf of Mexico, valuable marine
ecosystems are destroyed along with
the local economies that depend on
them.
What’s worse, Big Oil’s criminal
negligence isn’t unique. The devastation wrought by oil companies globally is a daily catastrophe. Nnimmo
Bassey, the Nigerian head of Friends
of the Earth International recently
told The Guardian, “In Nigeria, oil
companies largely ignore their spills,
cover them up and destroy people's
livelihood and environments. The
Gulf spill can be seen as a metaphor
for what is happening daily in the
oilfields of Nigeria and other parts of
Africa.”
Last December, President Obama
accepted a Nobel Prize for his "constructive role in meeting the great
climatic challenges the world is confronting.” He characterized the Prize
as “as an affirmation of American
leadership on behalf of aspirations
held by people in all nations.” Yet in
Copenhagen, President Obama
squandered an historic opportunity
to embody this necessary leadership
in the fight against the climate crisis.
Unfortunately, the Obama administration’s lackluster attitude in the
lead-up to Copenhagen eerily
reflects its response to the oil gusher: sluggish and hands-off. Stopping
the spill of oil into the Gulf and stopping the spill of carbon into our
atmosphere are inextricably intertwined.
From New Orleans to Lagos, global citizens are mobilizing to end the
stranglehold corporate polluters
have on our democracy and our climate. The Obama administration
should take heed of the widespread
public outcry emanating from this
historical moment.
If President Obama hears one
message from the Gulf’s oil
■
drenched shores right now, it should
be this: stand up to greedy multinational corporations whose practices
have time and again jeopardized the
lives and livelihoods of the world’s
people and put your political capital
behind a strong and just international climate treaty.
WHILE THE IMAGES OF OIL-SOAKED PELICANS in the Gulf are truly heartbreaking, countries around the world have been living with the nightmare of oil extraction for decades. The Niger Delta in particular has been
grievously harmed by multinational oil corporations and corrupt local
governments. Oil spills, gas flaring (when the excess gas from the
extracted oil is burned off, creating toxic flames) and groundwater pollution are just some of the impacts the Niger Delta has dealt with for
the past 50 years.
In the summer of 2009, Friends of the Earth U.S. joined with allied
groups to fight a campaign against the multinational oil company, Shell.
Shell stood trial in U.S. federal court to answer charges that it conspired
in horrific human rights abuses in Nigeria in the 1990s. We used this
trial to highlight not only Shell’s involvement in the death of eight
Nigerian activists, including poet-activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, but its continued gas flaring and neglect. The pressure generated from Friends of the
Earth caused Shell to settle out of court – resulting in Shell paying $15.5
million in reparations to the Ogoni people in Nigeria.
For more information visit www.shellguilty.com.
Summer 2010 | Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine
13
A LT E R N AT I V E S T O O I L
■
A Clean Energy Future: Available Now
the-scenes) promotes sustainable
In April we joined a protest in front of the World Bank building asking it to reject a $3.75 billion
loan for a South African coal plant.
By Caroline D’Angelo
THE ONGOING OIL DISASTER has
spurred debate on how to transition
away from fossil fuels. Yet it’s a discussion that largely glosses over a
crucial point– drilling for more oil is
unnecessary. Even the most optimistic estimates for offshore drilling
in America account for less than
three years of the U.S.’ energy needs.
Expanded drilling – which the KerryLieberman bill calls for – is a wasteful and dangerous pursuit of more
profits for oil companies, not a
necessity. There are clean energy and
transportation alternatives available
now that can wean us off of our oil
addiction.
One tactic Friends of the Earth
has employed to clean up America’s
act is to take aim at the nearly twothirds of the U.S. oil supply that’s
hijacked by the transportation sector. Our goal to lessen California’s
vehicle greenhouse gas emissions by
tightening regulations and promoting plug-in vehicles complements
our work promoting zero-emissions
fuel options available for cars
14
Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine | Summer 2010
through solar energy. Sara Schedler,
Friends of the Earth’s Clean Cars
Program Associate, heads a regional
initiative in California to build and
promote solar fueling stations for
plug-in electric vehicles. This technology is tried and true and available immediately. Electric vehicles
are in production and will be on the
market by next year. By installing
and using solar fueling stations we
can wean ourselves off of dirty liquid
fuels like oil and biofuels and create
near-zero emissions driving. To aid
municipalities around the nation in
navigating tax credits and practical
matters in building solar fueling stations, Friends of the Earth released a
report, a cost calculator and fact
sheets, all available online at
http://foe.org/transportation/clean-carscampaign. Our push for plug-in vehi-
cles was given a boost last year
when President Obama’s stimulus
package included $10 billion in funding for plug-in cars.
Severin Skolrud, Federal
Transportation Policy Campaigner
(see an interview with Severin in this
issue or online at www.foe.org/behind-
transportation initiatives and smart
growth planning to reduce
America’s reliance on cars. Getting
off dirty fuels is possible right now
with low-tech solutions like walking,
biking and smart growth planning.
If less than three percent of the U.S.
population commuted by bike three
times a week or switched to public
transportation, we could reduce
gasoline use by more than 7.5 million gallons a day. Severin is also promoting a gasoline tax that would
have a greater positive impact than
the Corporate Average Fuel Economy
standards (put in place to improve
fuel economy of cars and lightweight trucks) in reducing overall
gasoline consumption.
Friends of the Earth is cleaning up
dirty energy policy as well. Alex
Moore, Dirty Fuels Campaigner, was
instrumental in axing handouts to
extremely dirty liquid and refined
coal in the tax extenders bill now
being debated. Friends of the Earth
is also currently involved in legislation to block the expansion of
nuclear power and dirty biofuels.
In direct response to the oil spill,
we aired a TV ad promoting clean
energy and in May delivered a citizen’s arrest to BP headquarters for
the company’s criminal negligence
in the Gulf. We’ve compiled our
media responses to the Deepwater
Horizon disaster, along with fact
sheets that provide a roadmap to
moving beyond fossil fuels at
http://www.foe.org/gulf-oil-spill, and as
part of our effort to increase awareness, individual Friends of the Earth
campaigns are now on Facebook and
Twitter – follow or friend us to join
the conversation and fight for clean
energy.
EVENTS
■
THIS MAY we held our annual Green
Ball, and once again it was truly a
smashing success. The sold-out
event was hosted by the incomparable Jayni and Chevy Chase, Robin
Williams made a hilarious surprise
appearance, and television journalist
Doug McConnell presented awards
to our inspirational honorees Zem
Joaquin, Tom Hormel, and youth
award winner Aitan Grossman.
We want to thank our generous
sponsors for making this event possible, Moonalice for the fabulous
music, and all of our guests for making it such a memorable night.
This event brings in crucial support for our work to enact meaningful climate legislation, protect our
air and oceans from corporate polluters like BP, and safeguard against
untested and potentially dangerous
toxins in food and personal care
products. Photos from the event can
be viewed at http://www.drewaltizer.com/
event.php?event_id=1587.
Presenting Sponsor
Russell Long
Supporting Sponsors
Linda S. Gordon
Katz Family Foundation
Pohaku Fund
Marcia Rodgers and Garrett Loube
Photo credit: Drew Altizer Photography
Green Ball, Great Event
Chevy Chase, Robin Williams, Aitan Grossman and Erich Pica.
Friends of the Earth
As You Sow
Autodesk
Jeff Glueck and Amy Ziff
Jim and Linda Kuhns
Sustainability Supporters
Better Place
Susan and Trent Carmichael
Tom and Lane Driscoll
The Fred Gellert Family Foundation
Marion Hunt
Shirley Loube
Nutiva
Laura Wais Underwater Imaging
Auction and In-Kind Sponsors
Bardessono
Burg Designs
Blue Ice Organic Vodka
Blueprint Studios
Brewery Gulch Inn
David Levinger Monumental Artistry
Eco Optics
Epi Center MedSpa
Esalen Institute
Fork & Spoon Productions
Frey Vineyards
Greenopia
Hotel Vitale
Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort
Jim and Christina Pettigrew
Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health
Lila B. Design
Lorraine Grace
Mavericks Surf Ventures, Inc
North Coast Brewing Company
OCSC Sailing
Oliveyah Fitness
Orchard Garden Hotel
Organic Mechanics
Peeled Snacks
Revolution Foods
SF GreenClean
Soulstice Spa
Stowe Mountain Lodge
The Green Garmento
Three Twins Ice Cream
U.S. Pure Water Corp.
Zindagi Salon
Summer 2010 | Friends of the Earth Newsmagazine
15
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Summer 2010 | Volume 40, Number 2
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Friends of the Earth (ISSN: 1054-1829) is published quarterly by Friends of the Earth, 1100 15th St NW, 11th Floor, Washington, DC 20005, phone
202-783-7400, fax 202-783-0444, e-mail: foe@foe.org, website: www.foe.org. Annual membership dues are $25, which include a subscription to
Friends of the Earth. The words “Friends of the Earth” and the FoE logo are exclusive trademarks of Friends of the Earth, all rights reserved.
Requests to reprint articles should be submitted to Lisa Matthes at lmatthes@foe.org. Periodicals postage paid at Washington, DC.
Our Mission: Friends of the Earth defends the environment and champions a healthy and just world.
Board of Directors
Interns
Arlie Schardt, Chair; Clarence Ditlow, Vice Chair; Marion
Edey, Secretary; David Zwick, Treasurer; Jayni Chase;
Harriett Crosby; Dan Gabel; Jeffrey Glueck; Michael Herz;
Russell Long; Patricia Matthews; Avis Ogilvy Moore; Doria
Steedman; Rick Taketa; Peyton West.
Scott Baumgartner, Communications
Caroline D’Angelo, Biofuels Communications
Kara Fedors, Clean Cars Campaign
Christian Freymeyer, Dirty Fuels Campaign
Meena Hussain, Biofuels Research and Advocacy
Kim Huynh, Communications
Angela Nicholas, Stanback Oceans and Vessels Project
Connie Siegenthaler, Development
Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary,
Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liberia, Lithuania,
Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta,
Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Nepal, Netherlands, New
Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Palestine, Papua New Guinea,
Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Scotland, Sierra Leone,
Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka,
Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Timor Leste,
Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine, United States, Uruguay.
Staff
Publications Staff
Affiliates
Erich Pica, President
Nick Berning, Director of Public Advocacy and
Communications
Michelle Chan, Coordinator, Economic Policy Project
Tom Clements, Southeastern Nuclear Campaign
Coordinator
Rebecca Connors, Internet Outreach Manager
Will Driscoll, Foundations Director
Caely French, Development Associate
Danielle Fugere, Legal Director and California
Government Affairs
David Hirsch, Managing Director
Eric Hoffman, Genetic Technology Policy Campaigner
Kate Horner, Trade and Forests Policy Analyst
Ian Illuminato, Health and Environment Campaigner
John Kaltenstein, California Clean Vessels Campaigner
Marcie Keever, Coordinator, Oceans and Vessels Project
Neesha Kulkarni, Legislative Associate/Marine Program
Lisa Matthes, Publications Manager
Adina Matisoff, China Banks Campaigner
Kate McMahon, Energy Policy Campaigner
Alex Moore, Dirty Fuels Campaigner
Karen Orenstein, International Finance Campaigner
Dan Riedel, Manager of Information Technology
Sara Schedler, Plug-in Hybrid Campaigner
Ben Schreiber, Tax Analyst
Severin Skolrud, Transportation Policy Campaigner
Peter Stocker, Donor Services Manager
Kelly Trout, Communications Associate
Lisa Matthes, Editor
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Republic: CEE Bankwatch; Japan: Peace Boat; Middle East:
Friends of the Earth Middle East; Netherlands: Action for
Solidarity, Equality, Environment and Development
Europe; Netherlands: Stichting De Noordzee (North Sea
Foundation); Netherlands: Corporate Europe Observatory;
Netherlands: WISE Europe; United States: Corpwatch;
United States: International Rivers Network; United
States: Rainforest Action Network
Consultants/Advisors
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Jim Corbett
Fred Felleman
John W. Jensen
Dorothee Krahn
Cori Traub
David Weinman
James Winebrake
Member Groups
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