PEMEX: STOP DESTROYING TABASCO, DEMANDS GREENPEACE AT THE END OF THE TOUR THROUGH THE STATE
Tabsco 6 April 1997
Greenpeace has brought to an end its week long 'OIL TRAIL' tour of areas in the state of Tabasco, Mexico. The tour was to document the effects of oil activity in the region. Greenpeace demanded that the PEMEX oil company, immediately terminate oil exploration in the Biosphere Reserve of the Wetlands of Centla and begin restoring the affected areas by removing abandoned offshore installations and carrying out proper maintenance of pipelines.
To reinforce their demands, Greenpeace protesters hung a gigantic banner (8 x 25 m) over the city's pedestrian bridge, with the message: "PEMEX; STOP THE DESTRUCTION OF TABASCO".
Greenpeace spokesperson Alejandro Calvillo said, "During this week we have had the opportunity to observe the environmental disasters caused by the oil installations and the continuos oil spills originated by the exploration and exploitation activities of PEMEX, with the acquiescence of the environmental authorities". He added, "This situation cannot continue. Both the executives of Pemex and and the environmental authorities should radically change their attitudes because they are flagrantly violating the law by covering up very serious environmental transgressions".
During the "OIL TRAIL" , members of Greenpeace witnessed many serious impacts of the oil industry in Tabasco.
On Monday the 31st March, aboard their flagship, the RAINBOW WARRIOR, Greenpeace examined the marine platforms of Campo Arjona, an oil field abandoned 20 years ago. The found it to be in a critical condition, there were fractures in the structure which contributed to oil spills, in violation of international regulations.
On the second day Greenpeace took samples in the Wetlands of Centla where over 550 hectares are heavily polluted.
Here the inhumane working conditions of the "chaperos" (tar people) was observed, they work in the oil without any protective equipment, and wash the oil off with diesel at the end of the day. This violates both the Law for the Environmental Protection and the Federal Labor Law.
On the third day on a journey through the coastal lagoons, records were made of the crisis in the oyster production in one of the country's richest and most productive lagoon systems. Records were also made of the salinization of over 80,000 hectares of the El Carmen-Machona-Pajonal lagoon system which delt a death-blow to the oyster farms in the lagoon. It was noted that damage caused by the oil installations and waste dumping in the area is the responsibility of Pemex. But the agreements between Pemex and the communities to clean up their pollution have not been upheld. Pemex was also accused by Greenpeace of failing to impliment recommendations made by several government institutions in its history at the logoon sites.
On the fourth day, victims of the explosion in "Platano y Cacao" on February 16th, 1995 were met by Greenpeace. They told campaigners that an explosion occured in the same area in 1986; and only last year another accident happened on the same pipeline system, a few kilometers from Platano y Cacao. Greenpeace documented the risks related to the thousands of pipelines in the region, taking into account their years of service, the lack of maintenance and the large number of settlements located in the impact areas if there were another accident. Greenpeace concluded that, in the case of Platano y Cacao, the Office of the Attorney General has not fulfilled the recommendation of the National Commission for Human Rights to look for accountability.
During the fifth and sixth journeys, the Greenpeace party went into the nucleus zone No. 1 of the Biosphere Reserve of the Wetlands of Centla, to substantiate stories of the impacts of the dredging ordered by Pemex as part of their controversial policy to revive the wells of the Usamacinta oil field. They found many examples of neglect that violated Environmental Protection Laws and the resolutions of the International Convention for the Wetlands Protection, (RAMSAR)on whose list the Mexican government has added the Wetlands of Centla.
CONCLUSIONS
Greenpeace beleve that Beyond doubt, the oil activity has had a very serious impact on the ecosystems of Tabasco. Vast lagoon complexes and immense tracks of land and marshes have been drastically impacted by the installation work and by the pollution caused by the oil industry in general and the PEMEX company in particular. The environmental impacts of Pemex should be prevented and tha region should be protected by more effective laws, rigourously enforced.
Nevertheless at present neither Pemex nor the environmental authorities comply with the law as it stands. Consequently the natural renewable resources (such as oyster farming) which sustain the livelihood of a good many of the rural communities of the state of Tabasco are experiencing a crisis.
