Greenpeace Southeast Asia Executive Director Von Hernandez said:
"Greenpeace denounces Team Energy's crooked smear campaign against the Rainbow Warrior's peaceful protest at the Pagbilao coal-fired power plant last 23 to 25 May 2008. Given Team Energy's underhanded agenda to discredit our organization and deflect attention away from their own environmental misdeeds, the alleged results of their sampling--as well as their sampling procedures and protocols--can only be described as shady and highly questionable at best.
"Greenpeace categorically states that Team Energy's accusations are fraudulent and impossible. Greenpeace is a highly respected international environmental organization and as such, we always take the utmost care with regard to all environmental aspects of all our operations. Greenpeace ships are no exception. The huge amount of coliform contamination claimed by Team Energy cannot be associated with discharges from any functional ship wastewater treatment facility, including the one on board the Rainbow Warrior.
"The ship's onboard treatment plant is approved--among others--by the (British & Dutch) Lloyd's Register under MARPOL standard 'IMO MARPOL MEPC.2 (VI),' which guarantees that the contents of fecal coliforms do not exceed 250 per 100 milimetre MPN, and a geometric mean of total suspended solids of 50 milgrams per litre.
"Team Energy's malicious attempt to blacken Greenpeace's reputation is a misguided tactic meant to evade and deflect the issues away from their own environmental accountability. Coal plants are notorious for their substantial contribution to climate change, as well as for their highly toxic emissions. In September 2005, scientific testing of ash samples taken from the 735-MW Pagbilao coal-fired power plant were found positive for hazardous substances such as mercury, arsenic and lead. These results show a glimpse of the huge burden that coal plants impose on communities, community livelihood and ecology.
"It is unfortunate that Team Energy chose to muddle the issue to service their company's self-serving agenda, but the fact remains that coal plants are inherently dirty and dangerous. As long as they do not call off their planned expansion, none of their purported environmental programs could be considered sincere. At best, they are simply efforts to try and greenwash the image of an already discredited energy source."
