ExxonMobil dijo NO a una política sobre agua

La junta rechazó la propuesta con el 93,1 por ciento de los votos en contra y el consejo de administración argumento que no consideraba necesario tener una política específica en esta materia, aunque están trabajando en identificar los lugares en los que el agua escaso con el fin de reducir su consumo.

Por su interés adjunto tanto la propuesta como la justificación integra del consejo de administración para votar en contra.

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This proposal was submitted by NorthStar Asset Management, 43 St. John Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130.

“Policy on the human right to water

WHEREAS, water is a key resource used in production of our Company’s product, and therefore water quality and quantity is vital for ExxonMobil’s success;

Through oilfield injection, oil extraction uses nearly 60 million gallons of water annually in the Canadian province of Alberta alone. This water is not returned to the local community and is ultimately unusable for other purposes;

The EPA reports that US oil refineries use 1 to 2 billion gallons of water daily (up to 730 billion gallons annually) to produce fuel (USDOE, 2006);

Over-consuming and depleting community groundwater risks violating the human right to water that the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights defines as all people’s right to safe, sufficient, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic use;

Whereas, ExxonMobil is a transnational corporation, and in 2003 the UN Commission on Human Rights issued a report on the scope of the human rights obligations which clearly states that ‘transnational corporations . . . are also obligated to respect generally recognized responsibilities and norms contained in United Nations treaties and other international instruments.’ On July 26^th, 2010, the UN General Assembly, ratified by a vote of 122 for, zero against, and 41 abstentions, ‘declare[d] the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights;’

We believe that it is the obligation of our Company to adhere to the UN’s declaration in General Comment 15 which describes that ‘the human right to water entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water.’ The best way for us to ensure sustainable access to water resources is through a comprehensive company policy on the human right to water, using General Comment 15 as a sound model;

We believe that global corporations operating without strong human rights and environmental policies face serious risks to their reputation and share value if they are seen to be responsible for or complicit in human rights violations, specifically the violation or erosion of the human right to water;

Significant commercial advantages may accrue to our Company by adopting a comprehensive human right to water policy, including enhanced corporate reputation, improved employee recruitment and retention, improved community and stakeholder relations, and reduced risk of adverse publicity, consumer boycotts, divestment campaigns, and lawsuits;

RESOLVED, the shareholders request the Board of Directors to create a comprehensive policy articulating our company’s respect for and commitment to the human right to water.

SUPPORTING STATEMENT

Proponents believe the policy should elucidate ExxonMobil’s commitment to ensuring sustainable access to water resources, entitling everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water while operating our business in global communities.”

The Board recommends you vote AGAINST this proposal for the following reasons:

ExxonMobil has a responsibility to surrounding communities and the environment for managing our freshwater use in a sustainable manner and to respect human rights. We have sound policies and processes in place, as a part of our Standards of Business Conduct, which address the water and human rights issues. Therefore, the Board believes a specific policy on water and human rights is unnecessary.

ExxonMobil is committed to operating in a way that protects the environment and takes into account the economic and social needs of the communities where we operate. Our Environmental Policy commits us to continuous efforts to improve environmental performance, and requires our facilities to be designed, operated, and managed with the goal of preventing incidents and reducing adverse impacts to the environment and society, including impacts to society of our freshwater use.

ExxonMobil assesses its current and planned activities to identify where freshwater may become a scarce resource, to understand better our freshwater use patterns, and to assess opportunities to reduce our use. We seek opportunities to reduce freshwater consumption, especially in areas of freshwater scarcity.

For example, our Singapore chemical plant expansion includes innovative wastewater treatment technology that increases re-use, thereby reducing water use by about 2 million cubic meters per year compared to conventional technology. Also, Imperial Oil’s (an ExxonMobil affiliate) Cold Lake operation recycles about 95 percent of the water produced during oil recovery operations, resulting in a significant reduction in freshwater consumption.

Environmental Business Planning drives technological and operational innovations, as well as strategic community investments to enhance freshwater use efficiency and reduce freshwater quality deterioration. For example, ExxonMobil’s drilling and exploration operations in the South Sulu Sea joined forces with the Alternative Center for Organizational Reforms and Development (ACORD) to build a pumping station and a new water distribution network to supply potable water to 13,000 residents, about half of the island’s total population.

Jose Alías