Press release - May 11, 2009
12 May 2009 (Edmonton) — Greenpeace Canada and Greenpeace Nordic have teamed up to fight the tar sands on both sides of the Atlantic, focusing on StatoilHydro across Scandinavia and pressuring the company to pullout of their Alberta investments. The delegation is travelling throughout Norway, Sweden and Denmark in the lead-up to Statoil’s AGM on May 19.
Statoil is the largest corporation in Scandinavia and a major
player in the Alberta tar sands. The biggest project in Statoil's
portfolio over the next decade is the tar sands, despite the
company's so-called commitment to renewable energy.
"You can't be a leader in renewables and pretend to be a green
corporation when you're invested in the dirtiest oil on the
planet," said Martin Norman, Greenpeace Nordic energy campaigner.
"The message is clear: dirty oil and renewables don't mix."
The delegation includes several prominent figures in the ongoing
campaign against the tar sands. Joining Greenpeace is Dr. John
O'Connor, who has gained international notoriety after blowing the
whistle on extremely elevated levels of rare cancers and
auto-immune diseases plaguing the downstream community of Fort
Chipewyan. His story, and that of the community he served, was
recently profiled in Downstream, a film by Academy Award nominated
director Leslie Iwerks, which will be screened in Norway. Also on
the tour is renowned journalist and Tar Sands author Andrew
Nikiforuk who will uncover myths around In Situ and Carbon Capture
and Storage (CCS), and Melina Laboucan-Massimo, who will speak on
behalf of the Lubicon First Nation and outline the runaway pace of
development and how it is displacing her community and destroying
the traditional way of life of many First Nations in Alberta,
Saskatchewan and B.C.
"The Norwegian public has a right to know what their
publicly-owned energy company is invested in," said Nikiforuk. "By
2020, the tar sands projects will be producing more CO2 emissions
than two nations the size of Norway."
As a stakeholder in Statoil, Greenpeace has put forward a motion
that Statoil withdraw their investments from the tar sands. After
the delegates present their case in Stavanger, Norway, Statoil
investors will vote on the motion.
The delegation has meetings set up with prominent Statoil
investors, MPs as well as national media outlets in all three
countries. For updates on their progress, visit greenpeace.ca.
For more information, please contact:
Jessica Wilson, Media & Public Relations Officer (in
Scandinavia),
+47
942 66876
Mike Hudema, Tar Sands Campaigner, (in Alberta) 780-504-5601