press release
cee bankwatch, friends of the earth, pacific
environment, sakhalin environment
watch
sakhalin ii project threatens last
western pacific grey whales
London, UK, friday 16th april 2004 -
Environmental campaigners from Russia, Japan
and Europe today (Friday 16th April) staged a
mock whale funeral with the skeleton of a
pacific grey whale outside the head office of
London's European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (EBRD) to protest at the threat
posed to the Western Pacific grey whale by
plans to expand oil and gas extraction in the
region. The EBRD is being asked to fund
the expansion of the Sakhalin II project.
The project, led by Shell, with involvement
from Mitsubishi and Mitsui, will be the
biggest ever integrated oil and gas project,
and the biggest liquid natural gas (LNG)
processing plant ever built. But the project
has attracted considerable criticism because
of the project's impacts on the last
remaining population of Western Pacific Grey
Whales and on the island's wild salmon
stocks. The fish spawn in rivers on the
island. Campaign groups are calling for the
EBRD, which is financed through taxpayers'
money, to block funding for the project as
currently proposed. They have issued a
set of demands which the bank is now
considering. The groups are in London
to press EBRD to meet these minimal demands
at the bank's annual meeting which takes
place on 18-19th April.
Friends of the Earth Campaigner Nick Rau
said:
“The Sakhalin Project poses a very real
threat to the last remaining Western Pacific
Grey Whales. The European Bank for
Reconstruction and Development, funded from
taxpayers money, should not be funding such a
project, which not only threatens an
endangered species, but also poses a threat
to the livelihoods of the fishing community
on Sakhalin. We want to ensure that
public money is not spent on such damaging
oil projects as proposed on Sakhalin.”
Dmitry Lisitsyn, Chairman of Sakhalin
Environment Watch said:
“Shell promised that it would improve our
local economy and minimise damage to the
environment by operating to the highest
standards. But we can already see that
these promises have been broken. The
project is damaging our environment, and our
wild salmon spawning rivers are under extreme
threat. People on the island have
already made their objections clear, but the
company is pushing ahead. The bank must
not provide funding until environmental
protection has been guaranteed.”
Contact:
Greig Aitken, CEE Bankwatch Network, Mob:
+44 (0)7810 558246
Friends of the Earth Press Office + 44 (0)20
7566 1649
pictures of the
action
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