ExxonMobil pleads guilty to killing birds, pays fine
ExxonMobil, the world's largest publicly traded oil and gas company, pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to charges that it killed 85 protected birds, including hawks, owls, and waterfowl. The company violated the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in five states over the past five years, according to the Department of Justice.
The company, which reported over $4 billion in earnings for the second quarter of 2009, will pay $400,000 in fines and $200,000 in community service fees to waterfowl rehabilitation and preservation programs. It will be placed on probation for three years and must implement a plan to minimize bird deaths during that time.
Most of the birds died following exposure to hydrocarbons in uncovered natural gas pits, oil tanks, and waste water facilities at ExxonMobil drilling and production plants in Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, court documents state.
Open pits and tanks often attract waterfowl and other birds, which may land in the chemicals and attempt to feed, according to the documents.
"ExxonMobil has extensive operations across the U.S. with bird populations in the millions," a company representative said in a written statement. "Our upstream operations have reported events involving fewer than 100 birds over the past six years."
The company said it had spent more than $2.5 million on nets and plastic "bird balls" that float on the surface to prevent bird landings at facilities in Colorado and Wyoming.
"We are all responsible for protecting our wildlife, even the largest of corporations," said Colorado U.S. Attorney David M. Gaouette in the Justice Department statement. "An important part of this case is the implementation of an environmental compliance plan that will help prevent future migratory bird deaths."
Bird deaths at ExxonMobil facilities date back to 2003, when employees found two dead mallards floating in the water near a production plant in Colorado. At the time, an agent of the United States Fish and Wildlife Services warned ExxonMobil that it would continue to kill birds if it did not create barriers to natural gas pits and wells containing toxic chemicals, court documents state.
"There are thousands of such wells across the West and thousands more since the Bush administration opened it all up," said Kert Davies, research director for Greenpeace USA. "How many dead birds go undetected?"
-- Amy Littlefield
Photo: A natural gas drill rig in Colorado. Migratory birds were found dead in natural gas reserve pits at similar ExxonMobil facilities. Credit: Carmel Zucker/For the Times
The dirty energy industry refuses to die.
Even in Brazil, where the energy matrix is considered clean, there is great pressure to protect the interests of the dirty energy industry.
The Brazilian government itself, through nine ministries, is pressing to have repealed the IBAMA's (he Brazilian equivalent EPA) rule which requires the neutralization of emissions from coal plants. It appears to be yet another defeat in the fight against climate change.
The subject is treated in matters "Ministérios rejeitam exigência que condiciona a construção de termelétricas à compensação das emissões de CO2 ” (http://www.ecodebate.com.br/2009/08/26/ministerios-rejeitam-exigencia-que-condiciona-a-construcao-de-termeletricas-a-compensacao-das-emissoes-de-co2/)" or, with Google Translate in "Ministries reject requirement that conditions the construction of power plants to offset CO2 emissions"
“ (http://translate.google.com.br/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ecodebate.com.br%2F2009%2F08%2F26%2Fministerios-rejeitam-exigencia-que-condiciona-a-construcao-de-termeletricas-a-compensacao-das-emissoes-de-co2%2F&sl=pt&tl=en&hl=pt-BR&ie=UTF-8 )
Until now, it seems, there is no government in any country in the world who has power or will to enforce rules on dirty energy industry, even before the climatic apocalypse approaching.
Posted by: Henrique Cortez | August 25, 2009 at 10:54 PM
My research on Clean energy is that Windmills also kill large numbers of Bird and bats. Will the same standards apply
Posted by: Charles Rein | August 14, 2009 at 07:47 AM