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Dr. Yuval Steinitz, 27 July, 2020 Minister of Energy Jerusalem, Israel

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Dr. Yuval Steinitz, 27 July, 2020 Minister of Energy Jerusalem, Israel Dr. Yuval Steinitz, 27 July, 2020 Minister of Energy Jerusalem, Israel Mr. Eli Ginzberg Chairman of the Petroleum Counsel, Ministry of Energy, Jerusalem, Israel Re: Request urgent public discussion on Chevron Oil’s environmental background prior to deal approval Dear Minister Steinitz and Chairman Ginzberg, We urgently ask for your attention to a dire matter related to the Chevron oil company’s planned acquisition of Noble Energy, including its Israeli assets. Chevron is an unreliable, immoral, and litigious company that should not be allowed into the Israeli energy market--until they can demonstrate otherwise. Chevron has one of the worst track records when it comes to environmental planning and protection, fled responsibility for a major oil contamination they caused and refused to obey court orders and settlements in relations to the extreme environmental and health damage which they caused. Their actions in Ecuador are known as “the Chernobyl of the Amazon.” The Israeli public deserves an open and transparent process in deliberating the question of whether the Petroleum Council and Minister of Energy should potentially transfer Noble Energy’s Israeli assets to Chevron. As demonstrated in Ecuador, Chevron has acted with brazen disrespect of the local rule of law in a judgement awarded to 30,000 indigenous and impactful of a large area of the Ecuadorian Amazon primary forest. While refusing to address massive environmental contamination in a once pristine environment, Chevron has viciously attacked the plaintiffs’ human rights defender, Steven Donziger. Chevron’s legal attack against 30,000 impoverished indigenous from Ecuador, and related harassment $35M lawsuit against Mr. Donziger, stems from Chevron’s mistreatment of Ecuadorian people, land, and oil. Past behavior is a key determining factor in assessing how they would relate to Israeli law, waters and courts—especially if there is an oil or gas leak in our waters. If Chevron is not honoring their current obligations in countries and communities around the world, including some of the most marginalized populations, refusing to restore destroyed lands their company has evaluated and falsely declared cleaned, and attacking the defenders of populations whom have suffered from their inconsistent and destructive business practices, why should we trust Chevron to honor Israeli laws, Israeli court judgements and Israeli environmental regulations and respect Israeli lives? Not only Ecuador was harmed by Chevron. Between May- August 2019 the company spilled over 1.3 million gallons of crude oil and other fluids into a dry creek bed in Kern County, California, making it the largest oil spill in the state in almost 30 years. Chevron was accused that it had not done enough to stop the spills that continued for a few months and instead tried to keep the crude oil disaster quiet and has refused to take meaningful action to stop the spill. In the Niger Delta, off the shores of Nigeria, Africa, Chevron was responsible for two oil spills, in 2008 and in 2014, caused allegedly by Chevron’s subsidiary Chevron Nigeria Limited. Also here, the company was accused with non- fulfillment of compensation payments to affected communities and although Chevron has been obliged by the National Assembly to clean up the area where oil had been spilled and to make another compensation payment, cleanup has not been completed. The Petroleum Council is obliged to know the nature, scope, and place of each license applicant for oil exploration and development, and like any administrative authority, it must make its decisions based on a full factual data. In light of all this, we urge you to freeze any planned decision of the Petroleum Council until after an open debate in the Knesset, to which the tribal leaders in Ecuador and professionals from the Sierra Club, one of the leading environmental organizations in the US, will be invited to present to the legislature, members and the public of Israel Chevron's track record of environmental destruction and disregard for laws of the countries in which they operate. In the meantime, we are asking you to also intervene with Chevron to show immediate signs of goodwill by: A. Cease all litigation attacks on the affected communities in Ecuador and their lawyers (This includes filing for the immediate release of Adv. Donziger from house-arrest, and permanently dropping all charges against him, including contempt). B. Chevron commits to a transparent, open settlement process with leaders of the communities based on the judgement validated by multiple appellate courts in Ecuador and Canada Without the immediate above two signs of goodwill, we will push for a permanent moratorium on approving the transfer of Noble Energy’s Israeli assets to Chevron in all ways available to us, including legal actions and making sure the Israeli public learns about this harmful history. We also request that in any case the Petroleum Council demand that Chevron comply with all the agreements that Noble Energy has entered into with the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of the Environment and the Sharon Carmel Cities Association, even if there is no contractual obligation or regulations. There must be no discounts for a breach in relation to what has already been agreed with Noble. Also, the emission permits for the Tamar rig must take effect before the sale agreement is implemented. At this opportunity, we wish to remind you of the essential importance of protecting the environment during such contaminating activity as offshore drilling. The Mediterranean Sea is Israel's main source of water, as we are completely dependent on desalination. In addition, the sea, is Israel's main trade entrance, and is a source of billions in revenue in commerce, energy, tourism, agriculture, and countless other businesses dependent on the clean sea. Should God forbid there be a major leak disaster, the gas and oil drilling are not insured in amounts that will prevent the astronomical costs from being passed on to the public. Therefore, it is imperative that only a company with high moral standards and commitment towards the people living by its oil fields be allowed to work in Israel. All this, while the Ministry of Energy fails to promote safe offshore drilling. Israel is lacking emergency equipment and trained personnel, there is severe lack in inspectors on the industry and infrastructure plants. Attached is our list of environmental demands for safe conduct of offshore drilling, which has not changed much along the years, as nothing is being advanced by the government. The importance of secure offshore drilling grows with such a problematic, dangerous and aggressive type of firm planned to enter our waters. Oil and gas infrastructure will never be free from spills and leaks or from spewing climate pollution. We face a growing public health crisis and climate emergency stoked by rampant oil and gas development. It is your responsibility to safeguard the Israeli public’s interest and Israel’s strategic security above anything else. Respectfully, Dr. Nan Marie Greer Executive Director, Alistar International Former Lecturer Environmental Anthropology University of Hawai`i, University of Redlands, California Yosef Abramowitz CNN “Green Pioneer”, and Israeli Green Globe winner Maya Jacobs CC: CEO, Zalul Environmental Association, Israel MK Gila Gamliel, Minister of the Environment MK Miki Haimovitz, Chair, Knesset Interior and Environmental Council Mr. Yossi Wirtzburger Petroleum Commissioner Members of the Oil Council, Ms. Orly Tal-Representative of the Public Mr. Effi Dloomy-Representative of the Public Ms. Ofra Cohen-Representative of the Public Mr. Alaa Khatib-Representative of the Public Mr. Benny Goldstein-Representative of the Public Mr. Samy Bakalash-Representative of the Public Mr. Leor Shapira-Representative of the Public Ms. Raya Adani-Representative of the Ministry of Finance Mr. Itay Havilio-Representative of the Ministry of Finance Ms. Irit Heitner Shavo-Representative of the Ministry of Energy BACKGROUND: Alistar International is U.S. NGO with a mission of defense of indigenous right to land; registered in Hawai`I www.alistarinternationalusa.org Zalul, “Clear” in Hebrew, is a veteran marine protection NGO campaigning for safe offshore drilling in Israel since 2012. https://zalul.org.il/english/ Nobel Laureates Condemn Judicial Harassment of Environmental Lawyer https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/18/nobel-laureates-condemn- judicial-harassment-of-environmental-lawyer How the Lawyer Who Beat Chevron Lost Everything https://theintercept.com/2020/01/29/chevron-ecuador-lawsuit-steven-donziger/ Chevron Seeks to Avoid Accountability as Massive Kern County Oil Spill Grows https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2019/07/chevron-seeks-avoid- accountability-massive-kern-county-oil-spill-grows State Agency Hopeful Chevron's Massive Kern County Spill Is Finally Over https://www.kqed.org/news/11766115/state-agency-hopeful-chevrons-massive- kern-county-spill-is-finally-over See the following videos about the unbelievable story in Ecuador: Crude Trailer: Crude Movie, Part 1 and Part 2: Website covering the entire story in Ecuador: Chevrontoxico Chevron Actions against Mr. Steven Donziger: Mr. Donziger has been under pre-trial house arrest in Manhattan since Aug. 6 (almost a year) after he suffered a retaliatory attack from Chevron lawyers under federal judge, Lewis A. Kaplan. The litigation attack occurred after Mr. Donziger helped Ecuadorian Indigenous peoples and local communities in 2011 win a historic $9.5B environmental judgment against Chevron. The Ecuador judgment against Chevron was affirmed by 17 appellate judges and four layers of courts in Ecuador, including by the entirety of the country’s Supreme Court. Separately, the Canada Supreme Court (where the judgment is being enforced) also ruled unanimously in favor of the right of the Ecuadorians to try to seize Chevron assets. U.S. appellate courts have affirmed the right of the Ecuadorians to enforce their judgment anywhere in the world. Judge Kaplan, a judge with a history of pro-business rulings, is the only judge in the world to conclude the Ecuador judgment was obtained by fraud.
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