Date: Mon, 18 Dec 2000 11:45:32 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Tyler Bell Subject: Proposed Pipeline Threatens Important Bird Habitat Comments: To: DE-BIRDS@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG, DE-conservation@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG, MD-SMAS-GENERAL@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG, ND-BIRDS@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG, nj-bird-chat@LIST.AUDUBON.ORG Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hello, I'm forwarding this from the BIRDCHAT list a message recently sent to the = NEOORN-L=20 list. Please excuse me if you've already received a copy, but it's = important that as=20 many of us as possible act quickly. Thanks, Tyler Bell bell@acnatsci.org=20 California, MD Dear Friend: A consortium of multinational companies led by Occidental Petroleum, Alberta Energy and Chase Manhattan Bank is proposing to build an oil pipeline through pristine cloud forests in northwestern Ecuador. This project would destroy unique habitat that harbors over 450 species of = birds (5% of the world's total), imperil a host of endangered plants and animals and undermine the livelihoods of local residents dependent on ecotourism. Please help us by sending the message found below to the corporations involved. Acting on this should take no more than 2-3 minutes. Two routes have been proposed and approved by the Ecuadorian government to pump heavy crude oil from the Amazon to Ecuador's Pacific coast. The so-called Northern route is proposed by OCP Ltd., a multinational consortium including Occidental Petroleum (US), Kerr-McGee Energy (US), Agip Oil (Italy), Alberta Energy Corporation (Canada), Repsol-YPF (Spain/Argentina) and Techint (Argentina). Chase Manhattan Corporation (US) is providing financing. We recognize that Ecuador needs the revenues that the proposed oil = pipeline will generate, but this is not a case of having to choose between the environment and economic development. The government has also approved a southern route, which follows the path of an existing pipeline and passes primarily through previously deforested areas, thus causing far less environmental impact. We are urging the companies involved to choose the route that causes the least damage. Please help save the forests by sending a message to the companies = involved: (1) Open a new blank message (2) Copy and paste the following addresses in the "To" box todd.maclin@chase.com, brian.oneill@chase.com, BrianFerguson@aec.ca, Jbaezal@repsol-ypf.com, webmaster@kmg.com, agippetroli@agippetroli.eni.it, jlt@tearg.com.ar, +Los_Angeles-Communications@oxy.com, pipeline@ecnet.ec=20= (3) Copy and paste the message text that follows at the end, or your own comments (4) Send (5) PLEASE DISTRIBUTE THIS MESSAGE TO OTHER PEOPLE (to avoid lots of = arrows in messages that are forwarded repeatedly we suggest that you copy and paste the text instead of just hitting "forward"). Thank you for your help and please contact us at pipeline@ecnet.ec for = more information or if you have suggestions of other ways you may be able to = help. COMIT=C9 PRO RUTA DE MENOR IMPACTO (Committee for the Route of Least Impact) Suggested Text for Message for Cutting and Pasting Follows I am writing to express my profound concern regarding your proposal to build and operate an oil pipeline cutting across pristine rain forest = areas in northwestern Ecuador. While many multinational businesses are moving = to actively demonstrate their corporate environmental leadership, the oil pipeline that you propose to build in Ecuador is a major step in the opposite direction. As you are aware, the Ecuadorian government has authorized two routes for the new Heavy Crude Oil Pipeline. OCP Ltd. has proposed a northern route, with a 157 km deviation to go around Quito. This route will pass through kilometers of natural areas that are being preserved by the government, such as the Mindo-Nambillo Protected Forest, and by private organizations in the upper portion of the Guayllabamba River watershed. The area forms part of the Choco Endemic Region, considered one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world. In addition, it harbors the first "Important Bird Area" (IBA) in South America. The Mindo IBA supports over 450 bird species, or almost 5% of the world's bird species. In the last decade, a flourishing ecotourism industry has developed in this area, drawing visitors from around the world and providing long-term livelihoods for = many local residents. The alternative southern route would have far less impact since it mostly follows the existing pipeline (SOTE) and detours around Quito (57 km) through primarily agricultural lands with far less forest than the = northern route. Although much can be done to reduce impacts in pipeline construction and operation, the area that will be affected by your proposal is both biologically unique and enormously fragile. The actions to date, carried out by Techint, the contractor for pipeline construction, have done = nothing to encourage confidence. They have trespassed on public reserves and private lands and cleared forests to conduct preliminary surveys without permission. Under these conditions and with these precedents, severe and irreversible impacts are almost assured. The only way to avoid these impacts is by choosing a route that foresees and prevents these impacts from the start; the northern route clearly does not take into account = these environmental considerations. There is still time to change the route of the pipeline. I urge you to act quickly and decisively to make sure that this project does not tarnish = your environmental record, and more importantly, does not cause of destruction of montane forest habitats of global conservation significance. A new pipeline is important for the economic development of Ecuador, but the same objectives can be met with far less environmental damage if the right route is chosen and proper safeguards established from the very = outset. ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================