BAKU CEYHAN CAMPAIGN: PRESS ADVISORY
BP’s new Caspian Pipeline: Fit for Public
Funding?
COMPANY TO FACE TOUGH QUESTIONS OVER NEW
PIPELINE PLAN
Experts’ Seminar: 12-2pm, Monday 28
October
Place: Committee Room G, House of Lords,
London
Book Launch: Soho Theatre, Dean St, W1;
5.45-7.30pm 28 October
On the eve of BP’s quarterly financial
results, the oil giant is to face tough
questioning from parliamentarians and others
at an Expert Seminar in the House of
Lords.
The seminar – consisting of an invited
audience of parliamentarians, oil analysts,
government officials, fund managers and
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) – will
consider the proposed Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
pipeline, which BP wants to build through
Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.
The pipeline would cost $3.3 billion and
carry a million barrels of oil a day.
The pipeline is BP’s biggest new project for
the past 30 years. BP has said the pipeline
cannot be built without “free public money”
and is seeking UK public subsidies for the
project. It will apply for these in
December.
Independent Fact Finding Missions to the
region, however, have revealed serious
concerns over the project:
• Contracts already signed between BP and
Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey exempt the
pipeline consortium from all local laws
except the host government’s constitution.
Are the contracts legal under international
law?
• Consultation has been inadequate and
there are major problems over compensation.
Would affected communities benefit from the
project?
• The pipeline will cut through or near
seven conflict zones. Could the project lead
to the militarisation of the pipeline
corridor and threaten human rights
abuses?
• None of the oil will be used in the
region: all will be exported. Would UK
Government backing for the project conflict
with UK commitments under the Kyoto Climate
Change Treaty?
In response to BP’s wish to consult with
“project stakeholders”, a coalition of UK
NGOs has arranged an expert seminar in the
House of Lords, hosted by Lord Avebury, and
introduced by Tony Juniper, Vice Chair of
Friends of the Earth International. Among
those speaking will be members of a
delegation from the three affected countries,
now visiting the UK to meet some of the key
backers of the pipeline and express their
concerns.
To assess BP’s claims for the pipeline
against its record elsewhere, the seminar
will also hear from guest speakers from
Alaska, Scotland and Colombia, where BP
operates three other pipelines. The speakers
include:
• former oil broker Chuck Hamel, who has
exposed safety and regulatory breaches on the
Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, communicating
the reports of whistleblowing employees to
Congress, the Senate and the media;
• Claudia Sampedro, a lawyer based in
Bogota, Colombia, co-ordinating human rights
cases against BP;
• Jake Molloy, general secretary of the
Offshore Industries Liaison Committee, the
largest North Sea oilworkers’ union. All
three have closely monitored BP’s record on
the environment, workplace safety and human
rights. How valid are BP’s claim to be an
environmentally and socially responsible
company?
BP has been invited to respond to the
invited stakeholders. All speakers will be
available for interview.
Following the Seminar, activist/comedian
Mark Thomas will launch a new book on the
pipeline, looking at BP’s claims in the light
of the company’s record elsewhere. Advance
copies of the book, ‘Some Common Concerns’,
are available on request from Kate Geary
01865 200550 or Greg Muttitt on 0208
8095349.
For more information please contact:
- Kate Geary, Campaign Co-ordinator, 01865
200550, email: ilisu@gn.apc.org
- Greg Muttitt, Baku Ceyhan Campaign, 0208
8095349
- Nick Hildyard, Director, Baku Ceyhan
Campaign, 01258 473795
- Nick Rau, Friends of the Earth, 020 7566
1673
- Roger Higman, Friends of the Earth, 020
75661661
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