As former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson has his confirmation hearing today for Secretary of State, we want to spotlight some local groups Global Greengrants Fund has supported that are dealing with the company’s global mess of spills, the resulting health impacts, and environmental degradation. These groups provide us with hope that no matter who is in office in the United States, people on the frontlines will continue to do their best to fight for a more sustainable future and hold companies such as Exxon accountable for their actions. And, of course, we’ll be there to provide an extra ingredient –money and resources–to help them succeed.
Cameroon: Compensation for Health Impacts and Environmental Destruction
From 2000 to 2003, ExxonMobil, Petronas, and Chevron launched a project to build a 1,070km pipeline to transport oil to a floating storage vessel off the coast of Cameroon. During construction, the local reef was destroyed, dramatically reducing the number of fish available to sustain local indigenous people. In a nearby village, contractors established a waste disposal dump which did not adequately contain the waste, leading villagers to report water and soil pollution, rotting crops, and health defects. In 2015, a group called Reseau de Lutte Contre la Faim received $5,000 from Global Greengrants Fund to support communities affected by the project negotiating for compensation regarding these health and environmental problems.
Nigeria: Training to Hold ExxonMobil Accountable
In 2013, Peace Point Action received $3,000 to train communities in the Ibeno Local Government Area on environmental monitoring as a way to hold ExxonMobil accountable. A subsidiary of the company is working in the area, and Ibeno was subject to at least three oil spills between August and December of 2012.
Alaska: Clean Up and Conservation
The Eyak Preservation Council has been working for over a decade to protect indigenous people and land in Alaska from the impacts of oil spills and prevention of further destruction by Exxon. In 2004 the group used $6,000 to coordinate efforts with those of the Gwich’in Steering Committee, an Inuit group, to raise public awareness about the lingering effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and to pressure Exxon to fully compensate people negatively affected by the spill.
In 2011, $5,000 was used to support the organization’s efforts to oppose the proposed Shepard Point deep water port and road, which would threaten Copper River Delta, Prince William Sound and a vital wild salmon habitat.
We want to hear from you – tell us in the comments how you’re standing up to environmental pollution.