Stop the Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline [번역중]

[조양호]

Take Action!
Stop the Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline!

http://ga1.org/campaign/stopbtc

Tell World Bank President James Wolfensohn not to use YOUR money to pay for Big Oil’s dirty energy projects!

The World Bank is now considering whether to use your tax dollars to fund another dirty energy project – the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline.

The highly controversial oil pipeline – which is heavily favored by the Bush administration – has been plagued with allegations of government corruption, human rights violations, improper consultation, compensation, and resettlement.  The pipeline also threatens ecologically sensitive areas such as Georgia’s Borjomi region, which is renowned for its mineral waters and resorts that are among Georgia's most successful and fastest growing sectors.  The mineral water industry is also the top employer in the region.

The BP-led oil consortium (which includes U.S.-owned Unocal, ConocoPhillips, and Amerada Hess) has now formally asked for funding from the World Bank for this risky oil pipeline. The World Bank has already launched a 120-day “public consultation period” that is scheduled to close on October 10.  James Wolfensohn, President of the World Bank Group, has the power to stop the project. Now is the time to let Mr. Wolfensohn know what you think of the BTC pipeline.  Tell World Bank President James Wolfensohn not to use YOUR money to pay for Big Oil's dirty energy projects!

What's At Stake!
Stop the Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline!

BP (formerly called British Petroleum) plans to build a 1,000-mile oil pipeline to transport oil from the Caspian Sea through Azerbaijan and Georgia to the Mediterranean coast of Turkey.  This pipeline- the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline- is heavily favored by the Bush Administration as a new source for oil, and is being considered for over $1 billion in public financing from the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and export credit agencies from six countries including the U.S. 

The pipeline could have serious environmental consequences.  In Azerbaijan the pipeline crosses 21 major rivers, impacts a sensitive desert ecosystem that will take at least ten years to be fully restored, and traverses unstable land with high seismic activity.  In Georgia, there are six major river crossings in areas prone to landslides and high seismic activity.  High value forests that support rare and endangered species will be impacted.  In Turkey issues include:

• traversing major fault lines;
• crossing six watersheds;
• over 500 endemic plant species found within the 500 meter corridor;
• 30% of Turkey’s globally threatened vertebrates found within 250 meters of the corridor;
• two critically endangered plant species and 15 bird species with nesting pairs numbering 500 or less are within the corridor; and 
  crossing two sites protected under national legislation, including a wildlife protection area for a global threatened species. 

The pipeline traverses a variety of ecosystems, from desert landscapes in Azerbaijan to alpine zones in Georgia and Turkey. 

In Georgia, the pipeline will permanently impact high value forests that are home to the endangered brown bear and globally threatened Caucasian grouse.  The pipeline will cross the managed reserve and buffer zone of the first national park created in Georgia, a region noted for having the highest biodiversity index in Europe.  WWF Georgia also came out clearly against a route through the Borjomi park system, saying it could irreparably harm “one of Georgia’s most famous national treasures.”  In a letter to the project sponsor, the Georgian environment minister told the head of BP that the project as currently planned and routed violates Georgian law. 

Human communities could also be severely impacted.  In northeastern Turkey the pipeline crosses areas inhabited by Kurds.  Given the government’s responsibility for maintaining security along the pipeline route and the long history of human rights abuses of Turkish Kurds, there are serious concerns that the project will compound ethnic tensions and create a militarized corridor. 

The project also threatens one of the few profitable businesses in central Georgia, the expanding mineral water industry in the Borjomi region.  The industry is the largest employer in the region, a major source of tax revenue to the national and regional budgets, and comprises 10% of Georgia’s exports.  The pipeline crosses catchment areas of some mineral water springs, and in the opinion of international business consultants, the mere presence of the pipeline will erode the value of the business.  This could have serious socioeconomic effects on the economically depressed region. 

More information about the BTC pipeline is available at:

http://www.foe.org/camps/intl/institutions/bakuceyhan.html

http://www.baku.org.uk

---

Sample Letter

I am writing to express my serious concerns about the proposed Baku-T'bilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline.  I understand that the project is in the process of being considered by the World Bank Group and that you are calling for public input into your decision.  I am deeply concerned about the serious impacts the pipeline will have on regional tensions, poverty, human rights and local populations.  I would therefore urge you to ensure that no financing is provided by the World Bank Group, since the project is likely to hinder rather than help economic development or the growth of democracy.

The pipeline threatens to undermine the local economies of Azerbaijan and Georgia, which suffer high levels of poverty.  For example, the pipeline could destroy one of Georgia's main sources of export income -- the Borjomi mineral water springs.  The pipeline's proposed route crosses the Borjomi region, a region renowned for its mineral waters and resorts that are among Georgia's most successful and fastest growing sectors.  The pipeline would pass through the catchment area for key mineral water springs.  Ironically, the IFC itself is an investor in the leading Georgian mineral water company, in a glass factory whose main customer is the mineral water company, and in a holding company that has shares in the mineral water industry.  If the World Bank Group approves financing, this could potentially sabotage its own investment portfolio in Georgia.

For such a complex and controversial project, it is essential that there is a thorough environmental impact assessment (EIA) process to ensure that negative impacts on people and the environment are minimized.  Last November, BP and the US government both used the threat of withholding future investment to pressure Georgian President Shevardnadze into pushing the government's approval for the pipeline project through, against the judgment of the Environment Ministry, the relevant authority.  This is evidenced by the Georgian Environment Minister's complaint in a letter to BP, that, "BP representatives are requesting the Georgian Government to violate our own environmental legislation."  The Georgian District Court recently granted a hearing on this breach of process -- the World Bank Group should at the very least suspend consideration of the project until this legal challenge has been resolved.

A May 2003 report by Amnesty International maintains that the legal agreements signed by the Turkish government and the pipeline consortium effectively create a 'rights-free corridor' for the pipeline, disregarding the human rights of thousands of people in the region.  The Host Government Agreement (HGA) creates a huge disincentive for Turkey to protect human rights because Turkey has agreed to pay compensation to the consortium if pipeline construction or operation is disturbed.  This compensation is payable even when Turkey intervenes to enforce parts of its law that apply elsewhere in the country.  Amnesty International has warned that this could mean there will be 1) little right of redress for the 30,000 people who will be forced to give up their land rights to make way for the pipeline; 2) inadequate enforcement of health and safety legislation to protect workers and local people; and 3) serious risk to the human rights of any individuals who protest against the pipeline.

I know that these are all issues in which you have a strong interest, and I look forward to hearing your response as to what action you are taking to ensure that they are taken very seriously in the consideration of this project.

[jihyelee]

제가 해볼께여~