May 10, 2016
Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Consumer Group Rally at Kinder Morgan (KMI) Shareholder Meeting in Opposition to Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion
HOUSTON, TEXAS – On Tuesday, May 10th, representatives of global corporate watchdog SumOfUs.org and the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation in Vancouver, Canada will attend Kinder Morgan’s annual shareholder meeting in Houston to oppose the corporation’s proposed Trans Mountain tar sands pipeline project.
The pipeline, which would cut through Tsleil-Waututh traditional territory, would pump more than 850,000 barrels of crude oil a day from Canadian tar sands to export off the Pacific coast near Vancouver.
Rueben George, Sundance Chief and member of the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation, will present a shareholder proposal from the $184.5 billion New York State Common Retirement Fund, which asks KMI to issue an annual sustainability report describing the company's responses to environmental, social, and governance-related issues, including human rights and the rights of Indigenous communities.
The proposal cites “opposition to Kinder Morgan's Trans-Mountain pipeline from Canadian indigenous and community groups” as one of the reasons such a report is needed.
The proposal can be viewed HERE
Lisa Lindsley, Capital Markets Advisor for SumOfUs.org will deliver a shareholder proposal on behalf of the $29 billion Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds, asking for greater diversity on the board of directors.
The proposal can be viewed HERE
Eugene Kung of West Coast Environmental Law, in Houston with the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, will discuss the evolving legal and financial opposition to the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline. The AGM follows a meeting today of pipeline opponents from across North America, including those opposed to Kinder Morgan’s Palmetto Pipeline and NorthEast Direct pipelines.
The Tsleil-Waututh Nation (TWN), the “People of the Inlet” are Coast Salish peoples who originated in the Pacific Northwest, particularly around the Salish Sea, which includes Puget Sound near Seattle, the Juan de Fuca Strait near Victoria, and the Georgia Straight near Vancouver, BC. In 2012, the TWN community voted unanimously to oppose the proposed TMX because of the grave threat it presents to their land of origin, spiritual identity and survival. www.sacredtrust.ca