MacBlo Lies in Annual Report

[The.Greenbase@gb.greenpeace.org]

>> MacMillan Bloedel Lies in Annual Report Greenpeace obtains


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                    GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE
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>> MacMillan Bloedel Lies in Annual Report Greenpeace obtains
documentation of environmental offenses  through Freedom of
Information
 
VANCOUVER, B.C. 24, March 1995  (GP) Government documents
released today by Greenpeace reveal that in its most recent
annual report the logging company MacMillan Bloedel deliberately
lied to its shareholders and the public by claiming that in 25
years they have been convicted of only 15 offenses against
environmental laws.  
The reports, obtained through Freedom of Information searches,
show that MacMillan Bloedel has violated environmental laws in
excess of 86 times since 1969.
 
Of these criminal convictions, 29 are for violating the Federal
Fisheries Act and Provincial Environmental Protection and Waste
Management Acts.  MB has committed 57 additional environmental
crimes in violation of the B.C. Forest Act in the past three
years.  The majority of these have been in the Alberni/Clayoquot
Region.  The violations include obstruction of a forest officer,
failure to mark timber and trespass logging (logging outside of
approved
boundaries).
 
MB has been convicted of 26 trespass violations in the past four
years.  While MB reported the Bulson trespass in 1994 that
resulted in a $206,000 fine, the other 25 trespass violations
remain unreported in their Annual Report or to the public.  The
majority of the violations are for logging outside of their Tree
Farm License, others are from illegal road building while others
are for harvesting high-quality timber with a permit for only
harvesting blowdown.
 
"These documents reveal that MacMillan Bloedel is routinely
committing environmental crimes and lying about their
environmental record.  This company cannot be trusted to
responsibly manage our last remaining areas of old growth
rainforest," said Greenpeace Forest Campaigner Tzeporah Berman.
 
Doug Chapman, a lawyer who prosecuted corporate and individual
offenders for the Ontario Ministry of  the Environment for five
years noted that, "MacMillan Bloedel's record of environmental
offenses makes them one of the worst corporate criminals in
Canada." Chapman further noted that, "In many of these cases,
MacMillan Bloedel would not have been convicted unless they were
negligent and it could be proven the incidents were intentional."
 
The documents obtained by Greenpeace include memos from the
Ministry of Forests which unequivocally state that MB is
repeatedly and in some cases intentionally violating existing
laws and guidelines.  
 
In one memo obtained by Greenpeace, Operations staff of the Port
Alberni Forest District note that,
 
"I believe MB Limited Management was negligent...MB (TFL 44) have
had a number of similar trespass occurrences over the past 12
months and additional trespasses between 12 and 24 months ago.
They have not improved their performance." -April 28, 1994
 
"Even while under international scrutiny MacMillan Bloedel
continues to intentionally illegally log and destroy fish
habitat.  Greenpeace is demanding that MacMillan Bloedel correct
this deliberate act of misinformation," said Greenpeace Forest
Campaigner Karen Mahon.  
Greenpeace is calling for MacMillan Bloedel to issue an erratum
on their Annual Report correcting the misleading statistics that
they have put forward as representing their environmental record
and a correction to all their shareholders. MB should stop
distributing their annual reports until they have made these
corrections. Greenpeace is also calling on the Provincial
government and the Central Region board to include full
consideration of performance criteria in the current renewal of
TFL 44. 
 
ENDS
 
For more information or to obtain full documentation contact:
Tzeporah Berman or Karen Mahon at Greenpeace Vancouver (604) 253-
7701.