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space Press Releases, News Stories |
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BAN Victory Announcement
Now it is crucial that we ensure that the Taiwanese Public has a say in how and where this treatment process takes place. Mercury processing can be quite polluting if not accomplished with great care. Vigilance is needed. And Formosa Plastics Group has shown by its past actions that it is a company to be watched very closely. A short History of this campaign..... Cambodia? NO! First FPG allowed a broker to export the 3,000 tonnes of waste to the poor, war-torn country of Cambodia. It arrived in December of 1998. Two persons died in Cambodia after acute exposure to the waste and many hundreds more were reported to become ill. And 4 other persons died during as a result of a panicked exodus from the town near where the waste was dumped and a riot that occurred as a result of public outrage. California? NO! Then instead of retrieving the waste and paying Cambodians compensation for the damage caused by the waste, FPG tried in February 1999 to have the waste exported to a landfill in a Latino community in California, USA near the Mexican border. BAN and California activist groups such as GreenAction and Californian Communities Against Toxics worked with the local community and state politicians to ensure that the EPA did not grant permits for import, forcing the waste disposal company in March 1999 to withdraw their proposal to take the waste. Nevada? NO! Again in May of 1999, GreenAction and BAN worked with politicians and Native American organizations to prevent an alternative FPG plan to dump the waste at a dump near Beatty, Nevada. Idaho? NO! Next, FPG began contract negotiations with an Idaho, USA disposal facility -- Envirosafe. BAN mobilized with local environmental groups, Washington Toxics Coalition and Idaho Conservation League and finally the Longshoreman’s Union of Tacoma where the waste ship was expected to arrive to prevent delivery of the waste. The regional EPA, which seemed to be working with the disposal company, did not cooperate in refusing entry of the waste. Things were looking grim until in July 1999, the Longshoremen stepped in and signaled their unhappiness with the waste coming to their port. Shortly thereafter Envirosafe, dropped their import plans. France? NO Merci! FPG tries to contract with Tredi to take the waste and treat 10% of it and bury the rest in a dump in Alsace. French government gives authorization without getting local community approval. The Community finds out after BAN and French activist group Centre national d'information indépendante sur les déchets CNIID (Independent National Center for Waste Information) publicized the intended export. In October 1999, following the community outrage the plan was dropped. Germany? NO! Next FPG tried to ship the waste to the BRZ company in Germany. BAN alerted Greenpeace Germany and they began to apply the necessary pressure. BRZ begged Greenpeace for an ok, saying that without Greenpeace’s blessing we cannot expect to import this waste. Greenpeace said no to import of toxic waste, but yes to export of technology to Taiwan. Finally FPG Agrees to Take Responsibility After One Year of International Network Campaigning we succeed in forcing FPG to reluctantly do the right thing. (See Story below) Special Thanks to the following Individuals and Groups: Michele Brandt, Sue Roche: Legal Aid
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