ESG, legal adviser, BBB, after 3 hour long mtg with CEPSA
24th May 2010
ESG meets with CEPSA after 6 years
The ESG would like to issue a short statement on a meeting which took place today at the CEPSA Oil Refinery in San Roque.
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An intense 3hr long, cordial meeting between the ESG, legal adviser, BB partner and CEPSA technical and communication team, produced the following outcome:-
ESG based the meeting on the audit it obtained in 2009 (via its lawyers from La Junta) and placed 17 technical questions before CEPSA. (The audit had been commissioned by La Junta after a period of heavy pollution incidences by CEPSA in 2007 which the ESG also publicly highlighted at the time).
CEPSA representatives claimed that several of the audit recommendations were already in process, with other soon to follow. The ESG believes that the company will only react when it feels pressure from the regulatory authorities, who in turn, respond to public pressure. The group reminded CEPSA of the mtg it had with the company in 2004 when it claimed to be meeting all required legislation.
However, it has transpired that during the last 6 years the company has been forced to implement a series of measures to improve and curtail many of the widely felt impacts from its activities. When quizzed as to why, CEPSA explained that this has been done because of changes in legislation and the impositions made on them by the audit. This demonstrates that prior to our mtg with them in 2004 they could have done much more to ameliorate their environmental impact. The ESG was interested to hear that its sampling efforts via the Bay Bucket Brigade and contacts with the majority shareholder, Total, had helped play a role in focusing the issue of poor standards and practices by the plant.
The ESG and BBB add that they were not allowed to take the bucket onto Refinery property. Notwithstanding, future sampling outside the perimeter fence line will be pursued
The ESG reiterated to CEPSA that its campaign is to seek best available technology applied to all aspects of the Refinery’s operations and a healthier environment for all. It presented to the company the latest health study to emanate from a Spanish university showing potential links between high levels of pollution and disease (plse see ESG website under Resources for “Estudio-Bahia-Algeciras”.)-
The groups will now be considering the next steps in its campaign at a local and European level.
In picture : Adolfo Rivas (Head of Environmental Protection, Safety and Quality), Juan Uceda (Bay Bucket Brigade) Janet Howitt, Henry Pinna and Tom Scott of the ESG, and David Dumas QC of Hassan’s International Law firm.
( A fuller report will be published on the ESG website in the course of the week)
