26th June 1991: For immediate release
BRITISH GAS COME CLEAN OVER RAINFOREST CONNECTION
After ten months of constant pressure, British Gas has
finally released the details of an environmental report
carried out in relation to its work in the rainforests of
Ecuador [1]. Friends of the Earth welcomed British Gas's
greater openness as a first step towards the company
meeting the requirements of its own environmental
statement in its dealings overseas [2].
Tony Juniper, FoE's Rainforest Campaigner said;
"Although the disclosure of this information
represents a major landmark, Britsh Gas's openness
will need to be more routine and backed up with
commitments to employ proper safeguards for the
environment and local people."
"While the information released by British Gas is
useful, it does not provide a full environmental
impact assessment.
Friends of the Earth has three specific concerns:
1. The information upon which the environmental report
is based was collected during and after exploratory
drilling. This is clearly a very serious procedural
flaw.
2. The data collected was not used to make concrete
recommendations that would have allowed environmental and
social impacts to have been minimised.
3. The reports are almost exclusively based upon
incomplete survey data that cannot support the company's
categorical assertions to have caused minimal
environmental impacts.
Friends of the Earth has also been seeking details from
British Gas regarding the company's relationship with
local tribal people affected by its operations in
Ecuador. The company has been heavily criticised in this
respect [3] and before a meeting with Friends of the
Earth on the 21st of June had failed to make any
undertakings towards adopting better practice. The
company's commitment to work with internationally
recognised indigenous peoples' organisations representing
a large proportion of the local population is therefore
very welcome [4].
Tony Juniper said:
"British Gas's treatment of local Indians has, in
our view, been quite unsatisfactory. If British Gas
believe that the almost random distribution of
money, sweets, rice and small tools represents
adequate compensation to people for the invasion of
their lands, they are quite wrong. Friends of the
Earth will be monitoring with great interest the
extent to which British Gas follow through their
commitment to consult properly with local people."
"The absolute minimum that British Gas should now do
is to arrange for the release of the information
disclosed in the UK, in Spanish, to interested
parties in Ecuador. Friends of the Earth also
believes that the company should adopt the "three
stage" consultative process in Ecuador that it has
adopted in the UK so that local views can be fully
accommodated". [5]
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Tony Juniper, Rainforest Campaigner.
Tel: Office (direct line)........(071) 490 0336
Home........................(0223) 410418
Notes for editors.
[1]. Allegations made by Friends of the Earth regarding
British Gas's environmental performance were vigorously
denied on the basis of various environmental
investigations that the company claimed to have
undertaken. Since August 1990, Friends of the Earth has
made repeated requests for the release of this
information. On June 21st 1991, British Gas arranged a
meeting, during which details of an environmental report
were released to environmental groups. The report
contains nine sections entitled; Mammal Study,
Anthropological Report, Study of Soils, Climate and Soils
Morphology, Bird Study, Butterfly Study, Ecological Study
with Edaphic Fauna as the Bio-Indicator, Herpetological
Report, Fish Study and Riverine Study. No section
regarding measures to minimise environmental impacts was
included, neither were details regarding actual
environmental or social impacts.
[2]. The Company's own environmental statement says that
British Gas aims to "foster among staff, suppliers,
customers, shareholders and communities local to British
Gas operations, an understanding of environmental issues
in the context of the business and to report publicly on
the Company's environmental performance."
[3]. In addition to allegations relating to British
Gas's operations causing damage to crops and hunting and
the introduction via production personnel of diseases,
British Gas has been criticised for not consulting with
local people or compensating them adequately. British
Gas's failure to recognise local indigenous
organisations, especially OPIP (see below), has also been
criticised.
[4]. The Organization de Pueblos Indigenas de Pastaza
(OPIP) represent 149 local communities from the
Ecuadorean province of Pastaza, the region in which
British Gas has been prospecting for oil. The company
had failed to recognise or consult with this organisation
prior to the presentation given by the company on June
21st.
[5]. British Gas has initiated a three stage
consultative process in the UK through which non-
governmental groups are able to represent their views to
the company. Stage 1 involves the release of information
for comment. During stage 2, analysis of information
takes place and in stage 3 a roundtable session will
enable groups to submit comments and to negotiate with
the company. Friends of the Earth says that British Gas
must employ this process with non-governmental
environmental and peoples' groups in Ecuador.