February 11, 2015

Fred Hochberg Chairman & President Export­Import Bank of the United States

RE: Ending Financing for Projects in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area

Chairman Hochberg:

We urge you to publicly commit to rejecting any proposal for U.S. Export­Import Bank financing for harmful industrial schemes inside the​ ​Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area​, including Adani’s proposed massive coal export terminal at Abbot Point, as well as the associated Carmichael coal mine and infrastructure.

During the recent G20 Summit in , President Obama​ ​spoke passionately​ about threats to "the incredible natural glory" of the Great Barrier Reef, and said, "I want to come back, and I want my daughters to be able to come back, and I want them to be able to bring their daughters or sons to visit. And I want that there 50 years from now."

Threats to the priceless Great Barrier Reef include impacts from climate change. Yet the Adani coal project alone is expected to result in an estimated​ ​7.6 billion tones of CO2 emissions​ over its lifetime. Damage to the Great Barrier Reef has also resulted from reckless coastal industrial development, such as massive ports and liquefied natural gas complexes that have compelled UNESCO to consider classifying the reef as a “​World Heritage in Danger​.” This includes two liquefied natural gas projects that received nearly five billion dollars in public financing from the Export­Import Bank under your direction. In our view, this financing​ ​violates U.S. law​, as may U.S. government financing for Adani’s coal export project.

It is clear that Adani’s plan is not only bad for the environment, it is economically unsound. Major banks including Citibank, Deutsche Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC, Barclays, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan Chase have all committed to rejecting the project. For the U.S. government to swoop in and prop up such a controversial and risky project backed with taxpayer dollars is unthinkable.

It is therefore deeply troubling to see that the Export­Import Bank—despite a tremendous amount of public opposition, legal action, economic risk, and President Obama’s concerns—is now widely ​reported​ to be a potential financier for Adani’s Great Barrier Reef coal export scheme. Such financing will put the U.S. government at unacceptable financial and reputational risk, will undermine President Obama’s effort to fight climate change, and will undercut world­wide efforts to conserve World Heritage areas, like the Great Barrier Reef.

We urge you to chart a different course during these last two years of the Obama Administration. We urge you to heed the growing international call to halt destructive coal projects and to join the growing number of banks that have renounced financing for Adani’s coal export scheme. And we urge you to respect President Obama’s concerns by publicly ending support—once and for all—for harmful industrial projects inside the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

Sincerely,

Australian Civil Society Leaders ­ Kirsty Albion, Co­Director, Australian Youth Climate ­ Sue Arnold, Coordinator, Australians for Animals ­ Darren Kindleysides, Director, Australian Marine Conservation Society ­ Paul Oosting, Projects Chief of Staff, GetUp! ­ Blair Palese, CEO, 350 Australia ­ David Ritter, CEO, Greenpeace Australia Pacific ­ Ellen Roberts, Coordinator, Mackay Conservation Group ­ Wendy Tubman, Coordinator, North Conservation Council ­ Julien Vincent, Lead Campaigner, Market Forces ­ Cam Walker, National Liaison Office, Friends of the Earth Australia ­ Glenn Walker, Acting CEO, The Wilderness Society Australia

United States Civil Society Leaders ­ Lindsey Allen, Executive Director, Rainforest Action Network ­ May Boeve, Executive Director, 350.org ­ Michael Brune, Executive Director, Sierra Club ­ Leda Huta, Executive Director, Endangered Species Coalition ­ Alex Levinson, Executive Director of Pacific Environment ­ Erich Pica, President of FOE U.S. ­ Kierán Suckling, Executive Director, Center for Biological Diversity

Filmmakers ­ Kathryn Kelly, Documentary Director, The Inertia Trap

Australian Business Owners ­ Keith Roberts, Business Owner, Whitsunday Catamarans, Sailing Whitsundays, and KDR Investments ­ Helen Sheehy, Manager, Southern Cross Sailing Adventures and Australian Tall Ship Adventures, Airlie Beach ­ Ken Sharpe, Business Owner, Aqua Dive, Airlie Beach ­ Asher Telford, Business Owner, Tongarra, Airlie Beach ­ Steve Edmondson, Owner Operator, Sailaway, Port Douglas ­ Dirk Werner­Lutrop, Director, Diverson Dive and Travel, Cairns ­ John Edmondson , Director, Wavelength, Port Douglas ­ Heather Batrick, Owner Operator , Yongala Dive , Ayr ­ John and Linda Rumney, Owners, Eye to Eye Marine Encounters, Port Douglas ­ Heidi Taylor, Managing Director, Tangaroa Blue Foundation, Port Douglas ­ Sandra Williams, Treasurer, Whitsunday Residents Against Dumping, Airlie Beach ­ Deborah Brown, Owner, Airlie Beach Travel and Tours, Airlie Beach ­ Tony Brown , Owner, True Blue Sailing, Airlie Beach ­ Jan & Peter Claxton, Owner/operator, Ocean Safari Cape Tribulation, Cape Tribulation ­ Tony Fontes Director, Order of Underwater Coral Hereos (OUCH), Airlie Beach

Scientists and Academics ­ Professor Terry Hughes, Director of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University ­ Daniel Kammen, Professor of Energy, Energy and Resources Group and Goldman School of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley ­ Dr Selina Ward, School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland

Australian Senators ­ Senator , Senator for ­ Senator , Senator for ­ Senator , Senator for ­ Senator , Senator for New South Wales ­ Senator , Senator for Western Australia ­ Senator , Senator for Queensland ­ Senator Penny Wright, Senator for South Australia ­ Senator , Senator for Victoria