Justice In Nigeria Now

Council Urges U.S. to Pass Transparency Law To Force Chevron and Other Oil Companies to Report Payments to Nigeria and Other Foreign Governments

Mayor Gayle McLaughlin

Richmond, CA – On Tuesday December 15, 2009, the Richmond City Council voted unanimously in favor of a resolution urging the U.S. Senate to pass a bill that would require oil companies to disclose payments to foreign governments as part of a larger movement to increase corporate accountability across borders. Councilmember Nathaniel Bates was absent.  A similar resolution was unanimously approved by the Oakland City Council and with one abstention in the Berkeley City Council in October.

The Energy Security Through Transparency Act (ESTT) Act was introduced by Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) in September and if passed would effect oil companies in Nigeria as well as the rest of the world.

“Here in Richmond, we see the links between human rights and corporate accountability issues in our city as the same struggle as those that are demanding a right to their livelihood in Nigeria.  Oil companies need to take responsibility where ever oil in produced and refined,” stated Richmond resident Jovanka Beckles who spoke at the meeting.

The Richmond resolution also calls on the State Department to support diplomatic peace talks in the Delta to negotiate a way forward to address the root causes of the current crisis—environmental destruction – particularly gas flaring – and lack of investment in the oil producing region. The city’s call contrasts with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s pledge in August to explore further U.S. military assistance to the government of Nigeria. The resolution along with the passage of the resolution in Oakland and Berkeley marks a new level of support to pressure the United States to adopt a foreign policy that promotes constructive change through dialog in alignment with the American values of democratic civic engagement, and freedom of speech and the press.

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JINN is supportive of the efforts of the Publish What You Pay U.S. Coalition that helped get a new bill  introduced into the the U.S. Senate of the “Energy Security through Transparency Act of 2009,” (ESTT) by Sens. Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Ben Cardin (D-MD). The Act, if passed, would require companies like Chevron and Shell to report how much they pay foreign governments for access to their oil, gas and minerals. This disclosure would apply to all companies that file with the SEC, regardless of where they are based.  Most of the world’s extractive industries would be covered by this law, and would set a new international standard for corporate and state behavior. (Note:  The ESTT act was formerly introduced as the Energy Transparency Through Disclosure Act).

Take Action: Write to your local member of Congress today asking them to support the fight against corruption.

Read the Press Release about the ESTT

Background information

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