3. ERM, Environmental Resources Management (45 preparers) -- [7]the company[7] lists clients from a wide variety of fields, including the oil industry (Chevron, Shell, Statoil, and Total). ERM's clients include more than half of all Global Fortune 500 companies. The company has over 4,700 people working more than 140 offices in 39 different countries.
Wait, TransCanada
Assessed the Impact of Its Own Pipeline?
Also on March 6, Brad Johnson at Grist moved [8]the story[8] from obvious conflict of interest to something that begins to smack of fraud, at least where ERM is involved. Under the headline "'State Department' Keystone XL Report Actually Written by TransCanada Contractor," Johnson links to the [9]contract[9] and [10]supporting documents[10] that lead him to conclude:
The "sustainability
consultancy" Environmental Resources Management (ERM) was paid an undisclosed
amount under contract to TransCanada to write the [environmental impact]
statement, which is now an official government document. The
statement estimates, and then dismisses, the pipeline's massive carbon footprint and other environmental impacts, because, it asserts, the mining
and burning of the tar sands is unstoppable".
The documents from the
ERM-TransCanada agreement are on the State Department's website, but payment
amounts and other clients and past work of ERM are redacted. In the contract documents , ERM partner Steven J. Koster certifies that his company has no
conflicts of interest. He also certifies that ERM has no business relationship with TransCanada or "any business
entity that could be affected in any way by the proposed work"
(notwithstanding the impact statement contract itself)".
On March 7, ThinkProgress [11]summarized[11] the stories by Song and Johnson, adding a detail indicating that this kind of deception was not a new pattern for TransCanada or the State Dept.: "Several years ago, Cardno Entrix, another private consultancy, was contracted by TransCanada to handle the State Department's initial draft of the environmental impact statement, the Department's hearings on the pipeline, and even its Keystone XL website.
N.Y. Times Favors Climate Over Pipeline
Without mentioning the State Dept. report's shady underpinnings, the New York Times took two strong shots against approval of the Keystone pipeline -- first in a [12]column[12] by Thomas Friedman on March 9, "No to Keystone. Yes to Crazy." Friedman uncharacteristically urged protestors to "go crazy" --
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
