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Environmental Action
Alerts for February, 2000

coming soon - in March - improved navigation - easier to find articles & alerts - faster load time

some special reports(many others alerts below, also)

U'wa campaign alerts

click here for sample letter to Gore and Fidelity

click here to read about worldwide Oxy resistance

click here to read about Columbian Police murders

read 2nd alert re: Columbian Police Murders

more info re: international support for U'wa

various alerts

click here for Wal-mart  contraceptive prohibition

Southwest Wolf Recovery-Story & Letter

click for Army Corps of Engineers Questionable Practices

click for Genetically Engineered Salmon news

click here for Amnesty Report re:murdered activist

from Rainforest Action Network Feb 2, 2000

U'wa History and sample letter to Gore and Fidelity

(Occidental Investors)

    Below you will find a brief chronology of recent events in U'wa land as
well as the most recent call to action to support the U'wa. The situation
has grown very serious and I urge you to take action by contacting
Occidental Petroleum's 2 most important shareholders - Al Gore and Fidelity
Investments.  You can find more information about all of these events,
including communiques from the U'wa themselves on our webpage www.ran.org.

SEPT 1999 - Colombian government grants final permits to allow LA Based
Occidental Petroleum to drill on U'wa land

OCT 12 1999 - Indigenous People's Day is marked with demonstrations and
rallies at Colombian  embassy's and consulates around the world calling for
an immediate cancellation of the proposed oil drilling and a return of the
U'wa ancestral homelands.

NOV 1999 - 250 U'wa begin a peaceful occupation of the proposed drillsite
Gibraltar 1

JAN 2000 - Bill Clinton proposes a $1.3 billion military aid package to
support the Colombian military despite their track record as the worst human
rights abuser in Latin America.

JAN 19th - Thousands of Colombian troops surround the U'wa occupation,
preventing food, water or more U'wa from getting through to the surrounded
U'wa encampment.

JAN 25th - U'wa occupying the drillsite are removed by Colombian military
helicopters, in the process 3 U'wa disappear and remain unaccounted for;
Occidental moves equipment in.

JAN 26 - 8 U'wa supporters arrested at Al Gore's NH campaign headquarters
for protesting his long term connection to Occidental Petroleum including
his ownership of $500,000 worth of Oxy stock.

FEB 3 - International Day of Solidarity for the U'wa!  Demonstrators target
Fidelity Investments, a major shareholder in Occidental Petroleum and call
on them to use their influence to get the project cancelled.  Al Gore's
national HQ is flooded with phone calls and faxes demanding that he take
action for the U'wa!

FEB (ongoing) The movement to support the U'wa people grows with frequent
demonstrations at local Fidelity, massive divestment by Fidelity
shareholders and ongoing pressure on Al Gore.
------------------------
please forward

"...We are making an urgent call to the national and international
community, and to all groups who have supported us, to mobilize against
this last attempt to trample upon the U'wa nation,  which threatens our
existence and culture. WE U'WA WILL NOT CEDE OUR CULTURAL, HISTORIC AND
ANCIENT RIGHTS.  WE PREFER GENOCIDE SPONSORED BY THE COLOMBIAN
GOVERNMENT RATHER THAN HANDING OVER OUR MOTHER EARTH TO OIL COMPANIES.”
    - Emergency Communique from the U'wa People, Jan 20, 2000

THE U'WA PEOPLE OF COLOMBIA NEED YOUR HELP!

OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM AND THE COLOMBIAN ARMY HAVE INVADED THEIR LANDS!

CONTACT OCCIDENTAL'S MOST IMPORTANT SHAREHOLDERS -
FIDELITY INVESTMENTS and VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE
(sample letter below)

DELIVER YOUR LETTER IN PERSON ON THE FEB 3 DAY OF SOLIDARITY WITH THE U'WA!
Find the nearest Fidelity "Investor Center" to you :
http://personal400.fidelity.com/gen/centers/invstctr.html.tvsr

       *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

       The U'wa people, an indigenous tribe of about 5000 people in
northeastern Colombia are completely opposed to efforts by Los Angeles
based Occidental Petroleum to drill for oil on their land.  Oil
drilling would violate the U'wa's most important religious beliefs and
present a grave threat to their culture and the environment. The 1.5
billion barrels of oil estimated to be beneath U'wa land would meet
the global fossil fuel demand for only three weeks.

       Oil is at the center of Colombia's bloody civil war which has
claimed 25,000 lives in the past decade alone.   

Occidental's nearby
Cano Limon pipeline has been bombed over 600 times in its 12 years of
operation.  These attacks have resulted in approximately 2.1 million
barrels of crude oil spilling into the soil and rivers - eight times
the amount spilled by the Exxon Valdez.  The U'wa know that Occidental's
oil drilling will bring them only violence, human rights abuses and
ecological devastation.
       Since mid-November hundreds of U'wa, including women, children
and tribal elders, have been peacefully occupying the proposed drill
site.  Their message is clear. In their words: "We would rather die,
protecting everything that we hold sacred, than lose everything that
makes us U'wa."  On January 19th thousands of Colombian troops invaded
the area to allow Occidental to begin preliminary operations.  The
situation is critical. The U'wa need our support.
       The best way to pressure Occidental is through their two most
prominent shareholders : Fidelity Investments and Vice President Al Gore.
Boston based Fidelity Investments is the world's largest mutual fund
company and controls more than 30 million Occidental shares - almost 10
percent of the company's total value.  Fidelity's  slogan is "We help
you invest responsibly."  We must demand that Fidelity Investments act
responsibly for the rights of indigenous people and for precious,
irreplaceable ecosystems.  Urge Fidelity to either convince Occidental
to cancel its project on U'wa traditional lands, or to dump all their
Occidental stock in protest.
     February 3 is a day of solidarity for the U'wa and activists
around the world will be organizing teach-ins, letter writing parties,
vigils, demonstrations and direct actions at Fidelity locations.  Find
your nearest Fidelity at the URL above and organize something to show
Fidelity that you support the U'wa!
        Vice President Al Gore has a long standing connection with
Occidental Petroleum.  His father was on the Board of Directors and
his family earned much of their wealth through their connections with
Occidental. Gore owns up to $500,000 in Oxy stocks, and stands to reap
large financial rewards if Oxy finds the 1.5 billion barrels of oil
that the company estimates is under U’wa land. Oxy and its employees
are also frequent and generous funders to both the Gore campaign and
to the Democratic party. In 1996, Oxy Chairman Ray Irani gave the
Democratic National Committee $100,000 just 2 days after sleeping in
the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House.  Gore says he cares about the
environment and human rights.  Let's challenge him to prove it by
telling Occidental to abandon oil fields on all U'wa land.


For more detailed information and copies of U'wa communiques
go to Rainforest Action Network's webpage - www.ran.org

To get more involved in the campaign contact Patrick at
Rainforest Action Network 1-800-989-RAIN  or rags@ran.org

           *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

WRITE/FAX BLAST/PHONE ZAP FIDELITY and AL GORE

Edward C. Johnson III
Chairman and CEO Fidelity Investments
82 Devonshire St.
Boston, MA  02109
Telephone: 800-544-6666
Fax: 617-476-4164

Albert Gore
Vice President of the United States
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington DC 20500
FAX: 202/456-7044
Gore 2000 Campaign offices :
Telephone - TN  615-340-2000


SAMPLE LETTER TO FIDELITY (can be adjusted for Gore)

Dear Mr. Johnson III,

I recently learned that Occidental Petroleum is moving forward with
the Samore Block oil project on the traditional territory of the U'wa
People of Colombia.  As you probably know, the U'wa are adamantly
opposed to Occidental's drilling plans and are willing to die to stop
this project.

Your company is one of the largest shareholders of Occidental stock,
and as such has unrivaled power to influence Occidental's decisions.
I urge you to do everything in your power to stop this human and
ecological tragedy before it takes place.

If the Samore Block project goes forward, it will jeopardize the lives
of five thousand people and the health of a fragile forest ecosystem.
The project will also have repercussions that extend far beyond
Colombia, as the U'wa have overwhelming international support.

As one of Occidental's primary shareholders, Fidelity has a
responsibility to take a stand on this highly controversial and
potentially deadly project.  Show your customers that you
will not invest in the destruction of indigenous cultures by publicly
urging Occidental to cancel all drilling on U'wa land.  Please let me
know about your progress in addressing this critical issue.

Sincerely,
Your Name

       *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *    *

Thank you for taking action on behalf of the U'wa!  You can also send
a free fax to support the U'wa from www.ran.org.

************************************************************************************************

from Environmental Defense Fund  Feb 4, 2000

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from Natural Resources Defense Council Feb 4, 2000

EARTHSMARTCARS BULLETIN

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from Center for Marine Conservation Feb,  2000

to send an electronic petition visit: http://www.cmc-ocean.org/petition/index.php3 or to help out in other ways visit http://www.cmc-ocean.org/3_pt/3_ptintro.php3

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from World Wildlife  Feb 9, 2000

Polar Bears and Penguins At Risk

Scientists believe that the twentieth century was warmer than any in
the last thousand years.  Global warming is real.  Unfortunately, many
of the predicted outcomes spell serious trouble for wildlife and their
habitats.  The disappearance of sea ice, for example, has diminished
the habitat suitable for polar bears in the Arctic and for Adelie
penguins in the northern part of the Antarctic peninsula.    

Please help combat these and the many other threats posed by global
warming by urging your member of Congress to take legislative action
to increase the fuel efficiency of gas-guzzling and highly polluting
sport utility vehicles, minivans, and other light trucks.  Doing so is one
of the most important steps we can take in the United States to reduce
the greenhouse gases that are heating up our planet.

Last year, with help from Conservation Action Network activists, we
fought hard but ultimately lost a battle to allow the federal Department
of Transportation to study the feasibility of raising mileage standards
for sport utility vehicles, minivans, and other light trucks.  This year
we intend to succeed and need your help to kick off a strong campaign.  
Please send a free message urging your member of Congress to sign
onto a letter to President Clinton asking him to support higher fuel
efficiency standards for sport utility vehicles, minivans, and other light
trucks.  To take action, go to http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org.  
Please act today!

The Conservation Action Network will automatically include your
mailing address in your message-as required by many members of
Congress.  If you choose to send an e-mail to your representative and
you receive a message back saying there were any problems with the
delivery of your message, please notify us at
undeliverable@worldwildlife.org.

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************

from rainforest action network Feb10, 2000

34 CITIES, 9 COUNTRIES : ACTIVISTS SAY NO DRILLING ON U'WA LAND! FIDELITY INVESTMENTS TARGETED AROUND THE PLANET


In this post :
1. Fidelity feels the heat!  Feb 3 and beyond....
2. Global solidarity round up with contact info!
3. MEDIA - Bloomberg Business wire


    The U'wa people of Colombia continue their uncompromising resistance to
Occidental Petroleum's (Oxy) efforts to drill for oil on their ancestral
homelands.  Despite the ongoing occupation of their land by the Colombian
army, the forcible removal of dozens of U'wa from the drillsite area and
mounting violence in the region the U'wa continue to mobilize to defend
their lands and culture. The U'wa have been protesting Oxy by blocking roads
across the region, rallying in Bogata along with representatives of other
indigenous communities (such as the Embera Katio) and calling for solidarity
actions around the world.
    On February 3 the U'wa call was answered when activists around the world
targeted one of Oxy biggest shareholder's Fidelity Investments.  From Tokyo
to London and in 23 cities across the U.S. Fidelity got the message that we
will hold them accountable for the safety of the U'wa people.  Fidelity's
business as usual was disrupted by demonstrations, rallies, pickets,
die-ins, talking briefcases, attempted lock downs and activists delegations
delivering letters of protest.  Additionally in 8 other countries around the
world activists mobilized to support the U'wa resistance.  Fidelity's was
clearly very shaken by the mobilization.  They hired both uniformed and
undercover security at many of their investor centers and in London boarded
up much of their office in preparation for a demonstration by Reclaim the
Streets.  In other parts of the world U'wa supporters rallied outside of
Colombian embassies, held vigils or organized educational events in their
communities.  See below for descriptions of what happened in specific areas
as well as contact information for each city.
    Fidelity's official response remains that they do not want to address this
issue.   As Fidelity spokesman Vincent Loporchio says : Fidelity invests in
"companies with the highest likelihood of stock-price appreciation.... Our
portfolio managers are not trained to make investment decisions in order to
fulfill social or political objectives."  Apparently this means they are
perfectly happy to profit off the destruction of indigenous lands and
cultures.
    Meanwhile Occidental CEO Ray Irani has moved to silence U'wa supporters by
requesting a temporary restraining order against Rainforest Action Network,
Amazon Watch, Action Resource Center, Project Underground and Student Action
for the Environment.  The court case is still pending but one thing is
certain - no lawsuit will silence the growing voices of support for the
U'wa.  We need to keep the pressure on Oxy's 2 most important shareholders -
Fidelity and Al Gore. Wherever Gore goes we need to be there to raise this
issue and wherever there is a Fidelity presence we need to show them that
the U'wa have many friends.

CONTACT AL GORE'S OFFICE - Nashville TN  p) 615-340-2000   fax) 615-340-3295

Find the nearest Fidelity "Investor Center" to you :
http://personal400.fidelity.com/gen/centers/invstctr.html.tvsr
Fidelity's boston office fax # = 617-476-4164
Organize a follow up action in your town!

For more information or to coordinate solidarity actions contact Rainforest
Action Network
patrick reinsborough at organize@ran.org or lauren sullivan at
lsullivan@ran.org

---------------------------------------------
#2 ACTION FOR THE U'WA AROUND THE GLOBE

US cities where activists visited Fidelity : (* = more info below)

Atlanta, GA*
Charlotte NC
San Francisco, CA*
Boston, MA*
Los Angeles, CA*
Glendale, CA
Canoga Park, CA
Irvine, CA
Palo Alto, CA*
San Rafael, CA
Chicago, IL*
NY, NY*
Denver, CO*
Providence,RI
W. Hartford, CT
Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Tampa, FL
Austin, TX
Houston, TX
Portland, ME
Minneapolis, MN*
Portland, OR
Seattle, Washington
San Diego, CA*

International -
London* - Reclaim the Streets demonstrates at Fidelity UK
    CONTACT :  rts@gn.apc.org
Tokyo - activists deliver letter of protest to Fidelity Japan
    CONTACT :  Yuriko Hayami, JATAN eureka@jca.apc.org
Calgary, Canada - rally at OxyCanada HQ, disruption of Fidelity
    tradeshow exhibit CONTACT : Jeff Emmett jeffjim@telusplanet.net
Amsterdam - demo at Colombia embassy  CONTACT : trasgu@cable.A2000.nl
Tel Aviv, Isreal - unconfirmed solidatity action
    CONTACT : Roni, Green Action armonb@inter.net.il
Mexico City - solidarity statement from striking UNAM workers
Prague, Czech Republic - ongoing community education
    CONTACT : Hubert, Earth First! Prague  zemepredevsim@ecn.cz
Limerick, Ireland - ongoing community education
    CONTACT : Green Concern greenconcern@hotmail.com

other solidarity actions :
Santa Barbara, CA - Earth First! bike ride for the U'wa  coalition of
enviro, human rights,    peace and justice groups confront representatives of
Oxy petroleum at corporate    greenwashing conference
Madison WI - rally for the U'wa/protest against military aid at State house
    CONTACT : MattEBubba@aol.com Community Action on Latin America


LONDON
A small but resolute group of people from Reclaim the Streets picketed the
office of Fidelity Investments and distributed up to 1000 leaflets, mainly
to Fidelity workers. 2 majestic banners were unfurled: 'NO BLOOD FOR OIL'
and '5000 U'WA LIVES AT STAKE/FATALITY INVESTMENTS' .There was a very strong
police presence but no arrests. The doors and windows of the office were
boarded up and we can be pretty sure that every worker there has a fair idea
of what the U'wa issue
is all about. A local Colombian cafe owner came over to express support and
took a load of leaflets for his clientele, many of which will work for
Fidelity with any luck.  Photos posted at www.gn.apc.org/rts
CONTACT - London Reclaim the Streets  rts@gn.apc.org

ATLANTA - Atlanta Rainforest Action Group organized guerilla theater at 2
different Fidelities with 30 costumed activists participating in die-ins
inside the investor centers.  Activists then  marched to the Colombian
consulate for a rousing demonstration.
CONTACT - Leigh Scherberger leighscherberger@hotmail.com  770-232-7084

CHICAGO - Chicago Colombia Committee and Colombia Labor Monitor brought out
40 folks on a very cold and dreary day.  Nearly 2,000 leaflets were
distributed during the lunchtime rush.  Fidelity's reponse was to panic and
call the cops who arrived via squad car and bicycles several minutes later.
Photos at www.prairienet.org/clm/chicol.html
CONTACT - Dennis Grammenos, Chicago Colombia Committee  (773)489-1255
dgrammen@prairienet.org

SAN FRANCISCO - 75 people from Rainforest Action Network, Greenaction,
Project Underground and other local groups rallied outside Fidelity's SF
office holding a giant banner which read "Fidelity Don't Invest in Genocide!
Take Action for the U'wa!".  Floyd Westerman from the International Indian
Treaty Council started the rally with a ceremony and a call to support
indigenous peoples everywhere.  Other speakers talked about local
environmental justice issues, American military aid and the need for diverse
communities to unite against corporate domination.  That evening a teach-in
on Colombia was held with representatives of the Embera Katio people an
indigenous community in Colombia who are fighting to protect their lands
from a giant dam.  Connections were drawn between the Embera and U'wa
struggles, US militarism and the growing movement against corporate
globalization.
CONTACT - Patrick Reinsborough, Rainforest Action Network rags@ran.org,
415-398-4404

MINNEAPOLIS - A group of concerned  citizens approached the management and
security of Fidelity
Investments at 7600 France Ave. in Edina.  The group requested that a
letter, signed by
several local citizen organizations, be sent to the CEO of Fidelity, asking
said company to divest its dominant holdings in Occidental Petroleum, the
destroyer of the U'WA.  The activists caused quite a stir by holding signs
up inside Fidelity, leafleting all the surrounding businesses and asking the
police as many difficult questions as possible. By the time the protesters
left
the Fidelity manager was very frazzled indeed.
CONTACT - Drew Hempel hemp0027@tc.umn.edu; Big Woods EF! Hotline
612-362-3387

BOSTON - Alerted to International protests in support of the U'wa people,
Fidelity
heightened security at its Boston Investor center.  Despite this, activists
attempted to lock down inside the office but were intercepted by plain
clothes policemen and  thrown off the property. However, activists were able
to chain a "talking briefcase" to
the door and for the next hour it broadcast the story of the U'wa,
Occidental and Fidelity's connection to this project. Meanwhile, 50
protesters braved the freezing weather to hold signs/banners, chant, talk to
passersby and support the attempted lockdown.  Food not Bombs provided
a hot lunch  and returned for the second demo of the day at 3:30.
Over 80 protesters flooded the sidewalks, then marched up to Fidelity
headquarters holding signs, massive puppets representing the U'wa,
drumming and chanting slogans.  Speakers from Colombia Vive,the Colombia
Support Network, Amazon Watch and Rainforest Action Network fired up the
crowd.
CONTACT : Kim Foster, RAINFOREST ACTION NETWORK fosterk@gis.net
781-551-6674

NY, NY - As well as organizing a demonstration at Fidelity, 2 NY U'wa
supporters disrupted a Feb 7 Al Gore campaign event with a banner that read,
"Want My Vote? Save the U'wa".  The activists  challenged Gore, a major Oxy
shareholder, to use his personal and political influence to stop impending
drilling on the homelands of the U'wa people.  The activists, Rainforest
Relief Executive Director Tim Keating and Cindy Rosin distributed hundreds
of leaflets to attendees of the performance before they were arrested by
police.
CONTACT Adam Weissman (212) 966-4831 adam@wetlands-preserve.org

DENVER - Activists from the Boulder Rainforest Action Group accompanied by
"Crackers" the chicken picketed Fidelity in Denver's World Trade Center.
After facing down overzealous security guards, making a lot of noise and
handing out many leaflets they vowed to return soon!
CONTACT - Alyssa Schuren, Boulder RAG  303-492-5776
Alyssa.Schuren@Colorado.EDU

LOS ANGELES - 30 people from Action Resource Center, Amazon Watch and other
groups were greeted by telephoto lens wielding security guards at the
Century City Fidelity.  This didn't deter them from much raucous
demonstrating and leafleting.  At another LA location 12 activists from
Catholic Worker began a routine of weekly visits to their local Fidelity
while at a third a candle light vigil was held.
CONTACT - Brett Doran, Action Resource Center bdoran@envirolink.org
310-392-7656

PALO ALTO, CA -  Students for the Redwood Action Team at Stanford
University, and Bay Area Action rallied with drums, banners and signs
outside their local Fidelity.  A delegation delivery a letter of protest to
the branch and informed the manager that they would be back soon unless
Fidelity used its influence to stop Oxy drilling on U'wa land.
CONTACT - Galen, RATS 650-497-6046   Cynthia King cking@Stanford.EDU

SAN DIEGO, CA - A lone activist leafleting and getting petitions signed got
himself removed from corporate property.  He continued spreading information
about the U'wa on the public sidewalk and is already organizing for the next
demonstration. .
CONTACT : Nate Solov solov@rohan.sdsu.edu 619-582-3936

------------------------------------------------

#3 MEDIA -  The global solidarity movement for the U'wa has attracted a lot
of media attention.  Much of it is up on RAN's website - www.ran.org.
Here's an example of one article from the Bloomberg Business Wire.  Please
send us any local media about the campaign for our archive.



Fidelity, Gore Urged to Help Block Colombian Occidental Venture

    Washington, Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Environmental activists are
urging Fidelity Investments and U.S. Vice President Al Gore either
to divest their holdings in Occidental Petroleum Corp. or use
their influence to persuade the company to withdraw from a
controversial venture in Colombia.
    Rainforest Action Network and Amazon Watch, two non-profit
environmental groups, are targeting Fidelity, the world's biggest
mutual fund company, and presidential candidate Gore as part of an
effort to stop Occidental's drive to drill oil in a region they
say belongs to the U'wa Indian tribe.
    Fidelity is the second-largest holder of Occidental shares
and Gore -- who has billed himself an environmentalist -- is
executor of an estate that holds as much as $500,000 worth of
stock in the company.
    Members of the U'wa, a tribe that opposes exploration on its
ancestral lands, have threatened to commit mass suicide if the
project isn't stopped. News reports in Colombia say the military
began to evict the U'wa from their lands last week.
    ``I do not want my money supporting something like this,''
said Kathy Kerridge, an attorney and housewife who owns $47,000
worth of shares in five Fidelity funds. While she hasn't sold her
investments yet, she said, ``if I don't see some kind of action I
will sell my shares and transfer them to another fund and move
them out of Fidelity.''

                       Investors' Pressure

    Kerridge is among the two dozen owners of Fidelity funds who
have urged the company to pressure Occidental into withdrawing
from the U'wa tribe's land. One investor has sold off about
$300,000 worth of Fidelity mutual funds to protest the company's
actions in Colombia, according to Rainforest Action Network.
    Tomorrow, activists will hold 22 demonstrations outside
Fidelity offices in the U.S. and nine protests outside Colombian
embassies and Fidelity offices in other countries. Outside the
company's headquarters in Boston, at least one investor will
publicly divest her $21,000 worth of Fidelity funds to protest the
company's 8.25 percent stake in Occidental, said Steve Kretzmann,
a consultant to Amazon Watch's U'wa campaign.
    ``We generally don't comment on customer relationships,''
said Vin Loporchio, a Fidelity spokesman.
    The campaign is one of the first to expand investor activism
-- by which investors try to force votes on such issues through
proxy votes during annual shareholder meetings -- to the realm of
mutual funds. The activists took aim at Fidelity because it has
consistently ranked among the top three owners of Occidental stock
and is a ``leader in its field,'' said Shannon Wright, director of
Rainforest Action Network's ``beyond oil'' campaign.
    ``You're definitely going to see a lot more of this because
more people are investing in mutual funds and the people
responsible for deciding on proxies are increasingly mutual fund
managers,'' said Simon Billenness, a senior analyst with the
``socially responsible'' investment firm Trillium Asset Management
Corp., which manages more than $600 million. ``And they are going
to be increasingly lobbied by people like Kathy Kerridge.''

                       Gore's Connections

    Gore is under fire because of his close connections with
Occidental.
    The vice president's personal financial disclosure, filed
with the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, shows him as executor
of his late father's estate, which holds $250,000 to $500,000
worth of Occidental stock.
    The Center for Public Integrity, a non-profit research group
in Washington, reports that Al Gore Sr., the vice president's
father, earned $500,000 a year working for Occidental after he
retired from the Senate. In the past, the younger Gore has flown
aboard the company's private jet and solicited hundreds of
thousands of dollars in contributions for the Democratic party
from Occidental.
    Laura Quinn, a spokeswoman for the vice president, said his
mother, Pauline Gore, is sole beneficiary of the late Al Gore
Sr.'s estate. ``As far as I'm aware, the campaign has not spoken
on this issue,'' Quinn said.
    Occidental Chairman and Chief Executive Ray Irani ``has
access to Al Gore and to that extent Gore has access to him,''
said Peter Eisner, managing director of the Center for Public
Integrity. ``It's an interesting tactic and could bear fruit if
Gore chooses to do it. I know he can pick up the phone and call
the chairman straight away. Will he do it? I have no idea.''

                       Political Interests

    The activists say it's in the political interest of Gore --
author of a popular book on the environment -- to heed their call.
``He does not want in a presidential year to be connected to one
of the world's worst environmental and human rights disasters,''
Kretzmann said.
    Rainforest Action Network and other groups have also been in
touch with other major Occidental investors, like Vanguard Group,
the company's third-largest shareholder after Fidelity and Sanford
Bernstein.
    ``We understand and respect their concerns,'' said Vanguard
Group spokesman John Demming. ``We've asked our managers and
analysts to look into the situation.''
    Occidental declined to comment.
    Fidelity, which so far has declined to meet with the
protesters, indicated it's not in a position to respond to their
demands.
    ``Our portfolio managers have a responsibility to invest in
companies that appear to have the highest likelihood of stock
appreciation,'' Loporchio said. ``They are not trained to make
investment decisions to fulfill social or political objectives.''

--Emily Schwartz in Washington (202) 624-1927 with reporting in
Boston by Kathie O'Donnell  /pjh

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from Defenders of Wildlife Feb 11, 2000

DENlines Issue #8

1.  DOLPHINS: Defenders Sues To Protect Dolphins
2.  CONGRESS: Conservationists Grade Lawmakers on Environment
3.  WOLVES: Idaho Wolves Illegally Poisoned by Deadly 1080
4.  ENDANGERED SPECIES: Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Denied Listing
5.  DID YOU KNOW?: Why Animals Sleep
6.  ON THE TUBE: A&E Looks at Yellowstone Bison Issue
=================================================================     

1.     DOLPHINS: Defenders Sues To Protect Dolphins

This week, Defenders of Wildlife and ten other groups sued the U.S.
Department of Commerce and other agencies for violating provisions
of the Marine Mammal Protection Act protecting dolphins. The lawsuit
challenges final regulations that clear the way for lifting the
existing ban on dolphin-netted tuna from entering the United States.
The regulations are intended to implement a 1997 law that set new
standards for imported tuna caught by encircling schools of dolphins
swimming above them. But, conservationists say the regulations ignore
clear requirements of the law and contain numerous loopholes that
weaken protections for dolphins.

The Commerce Department has yet to decide formally whether to lift
the current ban on tuna from Mexico, Colombia and other countries
that have failed to meet the "dolphin-safe" tuna standard. More than
50,000 DEN activists like yourself have sent e-mails to the President
expressing outrage over the department's April 1999 decision to
weaken the "dolphin-safe" tuna label and urging him not to lift the
ban on dolphin-netted tuna. We will keep you updated on this
important issue.

Last summer, Defenders and other groups filed a separate lawsuit
challenging the Commerce Department's decision to allow the existing
"dolphin-safe" label to apply to tuna caught by intentionally
encircling, harassing and setting nets on dolphins. Conservationists
argued that the decision ignores scientific information supplied by
the agency's own researchers and places foreign trade interests
above protecting dolphins.

Click here for more: http://www.defenders.org/den/dl00008.html#dolphinjump

2.     CONGRESS : Conservationists Grade Lawmakers on Environment

Yesterday, the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has released the
1999 National Environmental Scorecard, an annual rating of the
environmental voting record for every member of Congress.
Representatives and Senators were graded on how they voted on the
most important environmental votes of last year, including opposing
mountaintop removal mining, supporting funding for the Land and
Water Conservation Fund, opposing commercial fishing in Glacier Bay
National Park and fighting anti-environmental riders. For the fifth
consecutive year the average score for both the House (46 percent)
and Senate (41 percent) failed to top 50 percent. This year a record
number --37-- Senators failed to cast a single positive vote on the
environment and earned a score of zero.

Conservationists expressed concern that for the third year in a row,
every member of the Senate majority leadership team failed to cast
a single vote for conservation. Particularly disturbing is the fact
that the recently elected chairman of the Senate Environment and
Public Works Committee, Senator Robert Smith (R-NH), earned an
abysmal score of  zero. In contrast, the man he replaced as chairman,
the late Senator John L. Chafee (R-RI), had a lifetime average
rating of 70.

The nonprofit League of Conservation Voters is the bipartisan
political voice for the environmental community and has published a
National Environmental Scorecard for each Congress since 1970.

To find out your Representative's or Senators' environmental voting
record, visit LCV's website at: http://scorecard.lcv.org/index.cfm

3.      WOLVES: Idaho Wolves  Illegally Poisoned by Deadly 1080

Two wolves, which were part of an ongoing recovery effort in central
Idaho, have been found dead near Salmon, Idaho, illegally poisoned
by the deadly Compound 1080. Defenders, in conjunction with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), is offering a $2500 reward for
information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
The FWS's National Forensics Laboratory in Oregon performed
necropsies on the two wolves recovered from the Panther and Myers
Cove area, and confirmed 1080 poisoning as the cause of death. Four
animals, including the two federally endangered wolves, a fox, and a
rancher's dog, have been killed on federal forest land in central
Idaho within the last year. FWS agents are re-examining other wolves
killed under mysterious circumstances to see if their deaths were
related.
            
Defenders worked diligently to ban 1080 use in the 1970's and later
in the 1980's because of the cruel and unusual way in which it kills.
The compound is one of the most deadly poisons in the world. Odorless
and tasteless, it effects the cardiac and central nervous systems
and causes convulsions, vomiting, spinal pressure, renal failure,
and eventual organ failure. Compound 1080 is deadly to any species,
including humans, that come in contact with it by ingestion or
through open wounds and there is no known antidote.

4.      ENDANGERED SPECIES: Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Denied Listing

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced last week that it would
not list the imperiled black-tailed prairie dog under the Endangered
Species Act, despite admitting that "available information indicates
that the species is likely to become endangered." The service stated
that it is dealing with too many other wildlife species that are in
greater danger of extinction to take on protecting the prairie dog.
Last year more than 14,000 individuals sent comments to the FWS on
this issue, nearly 90 percent of them supporting listing the prairie
dog as threatened.

Black-tailed prairie dogs are keystone species whose presence is
critical to the health of our remaining prairie ecosystems. Once
common throughout the Great Plains from Canada to Mexico, prairie
dogs have been victimized by disease, shooting, poisoning and
conversion of prairie habitat to agriculture. The prairie dog now
survives on just one percent of its historic range. Last month, more
than 100 DEN activists sent comments to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS)
urging the agency to prohibit poisoning and shooting of black-tailed
prairie dogs on USFS-managed National Grasslands.

5.     DID YOU KNOW? How Animals Sleep

While humans sleep an average of eight hours a day, primarily as a
response to fatigue, animal's sleep patterns are much more varied.
From the ever-active shrew's minute-long naps to the aptly named
sloth's 20-hour slumber, the variation of the amount of time animals
spend alseep per day is enormous. Many animals such as dolphins and
giraffes only take a series of short naps. While sleeping, animals
often choose or create protected environments to avoid predation. For
example, rabbits sleep in underground burrows, birds perch in trees
and bats sleep in the relative safety of caves. Certain species of
marine parrot fish produce a mucus envelope or shield around
themselves to help guard against moray eels and other predators
while sleeping. Other animals that lack safe locations to sleep,
such as deer and horses, often sleep standing up. Some desert animals
avoid extreme temperatures by bedding down during the hottest hours
of the day and feeding at night. Cold-blooded animals like reptiles
sleep at night because they rely on the warmer daytime temperatures
to be active.

6.      ON THE TUBE: A&E Looks at Yellowstone Bison Issue

The cable television channel Arts & Entertainment (A&E) will air a
wildlife documentary examining the controversial Yellowstone bison
issue on Thursday February 24, at 9:00 p.m. EST (check your local
listings). Each winter, as bison move from the protection of
Yellowstone National Park onto adjacent state, federal or private
lands, they become targets of an aggressive control program by the
state of Montana based on ranchers' concerns that bison could
transmit the disease brucellosis to their cattle. COntrol efforts
continue despite the fact that there has never been a documented
case of a wild bison transmitting brucellosis to cattle. Such fear
has led to the killing of approximately 3,100 bison since 1985, with
nearly 1,100 killed during the winter of 1996-97 alone. As a result,
the park's herd has dwindled to about 2,500. Defenders has worked
with other groups to support alternative management proposals that
do not involve killing bison. The A&E program will include exclusive
video footage and interviews with local conservationists fighting to
protect the nation's last free-ranging bison herd. For more information
on the Yellowstone bison see the related article in Denlines Issue #5
or click on http://www.defenders.org/den/dl00005.html#CONT2


      * TELL YOUR FRIENDS!! FORWARD THIS ISSUE AND SPREAD
           THE NEWS ABOUT WILDLIFE AND CONSERVATION *

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DENlines is a bi-weekly publication of Defenders of Wildlife, a
leading national conservation organization recognized as one of the
nation's most progressive advocates for wildlife and its habitat.
Known for its effective leadership on endangered species issues,
particularly predators like brown bears and gray wolves, Defenders
advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation that protect
species before they become endangered. Founded in 1947, Defenders is
a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with more than 380,000 members
and supporters.

                      Defenders of Wildlife
                  1101 14th Street, NW, Suite 1400
                      Washington, DC 20005
                    http://www.defenders.org

                (c) Defenders of Wildlife, 2000.



**************************************************************************************

from World Wildlife Feb 11, 2000

-- Gift to the Earth: The four countries that border on
the MesoAmerica Reef ecoregion, Belize, Mexico, Guatemala,
and Honduras, have shown a strong commitment to jointly
manage the reef ecosystem. A February 8th ceremony at
the Mayan ruins of Tulum in Mexico celebrated their
generous commitment. To learn more about our Endangered
Spaces, see our Web site at:   
http://www.worldwildlife.org/global200/

-- Yellowstone Wolf Ruling: This ruling was a major
victory for conservation. A Federal appeals court ruling
on January 14th that wolves can remain in Yellowstone
National Park overturns an earlier ruling that had called
for the removal of the wolves, which were reintroduced
into Yellowstone and other parts of the northern Rockies
in 1995 and 1996. For more information go to:  
http://www.worldwildlife.org/news/newsroom.cfm?type_id=12

-- Atlantic Forest: The government of Argentina's Misiones
province passed legislation to create a green corridor
of nearly 2.5 million acres of protected forest. The new
protected area provides a vital link to parks in
neighboring Brazil, and safe passage for all the region's
diverse wildlife.

-- WWF and Britannica.com: Register your e-mail address at
Britannica.com and WWF receives $1! This is a free and
simple way to help WWF with its conservation efforts,
PLUS you'll be entered to win one of SIX travel adventures
in Britannica.com's "Inspired Causes Inspiring Destinations"
Sweepstakes. Visit: http://www.britannica.com

-- E-Cards.com: Since its inception, E-Cards.com has supported WWF,
and it's one of the top sources for traffic to the WWF Web site.
So the next time you're sending an online greeting, check them
out at: http://www.e-cards.com

-- Don't forget to visit the Conservation Action Network frequently
for simple actions that you can take to help protect endangered
species worldwide!
http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org



*************************************************************************************

from Rainforest Action Network   Feb 15, 2000

This past Friday (February 11), 150 Colombian police moved into the area
around the Oxy drillsite, dispersing 450 U'wa who had been blockading
two roads.  Using teargas, the police forced the U'wa present into a
river.  Three children were killed, and fifteen U'wa are still missing.  
Read the Chicago Tribune article.
http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/beyond_oil/news/chicagotrib_000213.html

The Clinton Administration has sent a package to Congress which proposes  putting $1.3 billion dollars in U.S. aid this year primarily toward the corrupt Colombian military and police and "fighting the war on drugs."  
Please call your representatives TODAY and tell them to reject this
outrageous proposal.  Spending money on the Colombian military only
increases violence in a wartorn region, and as we've seen over the past
few weeks, it could have serious repercussions for the U'wa.  Your
support has never been more critical.  Read talking points and find out
how to contact your representative.
http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/beyond_oil/oxy/usaid_points.html

Finally, see what else you can do to support the U'wa including
pressuring Fidelity Investments and Al Gore, Jr.--two of Oxy's most
influential shareholders.
(http://www.ran.org/ran_campaigns/beyond_oil/resources.html)



To read archived messages, go to http://igc.topica.com/lists/ran-updates

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rainforest Action Network
221 Pine Street, Suite 500
San Francisco, CA  94104
tel: 415-398-4404
fax: 415-398-2732
URL: http://www.ran.org/


_____________________________________________________________
Who will win the Oscars? Spout off on our Entertainment list!
http://www.topica.com/lists/showbiztalk


**************************************************************************************

from Greenpeace Feb 16,2000

To All Arctic Activists:

After a month of furious activity at Greenpeace, there are some new
developments we'd like you to know about.

We have launched a new campaign to get support for a resolution we are
bringing forward at the BP Amoco AGM on April 13 in London. The resolution
calls on BP Amoco to abandon the Northstar project and stop lobbying to
open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, and instead, to
transfer the funding to a large factory that mass produces solar panels. (BP
Amoco owns BP Solarex, the world's largest solar company.)

The resolution is supported by Greenpeace, US PIRG and the Trillium Asset
Management socially responsible investment fund, along with more than a
100 individual investors. It has been officially accepted by BP Amoco (they
had no choice - we had fulfilled all of the legal requirements!) and is being
mailled out to 900,000 shareholders around the world.

We have created a squad of 20 polar bear costumes which have been
making appearances in London and Washington recently to embarrass BP
Amoco and promote the resolution.

We've also dramatically expanded the SANE BP website at:
http://www.sanebp.com

This site has the text of the resolution, a form to register your support if you
are a BP Amoco shareholder, and a database of almost 1300 institutional
shareholders. Please visit the site and check to see if your bank, mutual
fund, insurance company, pension fund or university owns BP Amoco
shares. If they do, you can use a convenient web form to fax or email the
institution to ask them to support the resolution.

Cheers,
Kevin

Kevin Jardine
Climate Campaign
Greenpeace International

----------------------------------------------
Greenpeace Arctic Activists List
NO NEW OIL
http://greenpeace.org/arctic

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************

from Greenpeace Feb 16 2000

*Here's an entertaining message about our Polar Bear Brigade in London from
the Greenpeace UK office.

Cheers,
Kevin

***

Last night, 16th Feb, the bears of despair gave the 1500 guests at the
Institute of Petroleum Annual Dinner in Park Lane, London, an opportunity to
begin their evening with a laugh at BP's expense. Five bears with "I can't
bear BP" and "BP: the end of my world is nigh" messages were
accompanied by two bowler-hatted stockbrokers with "BP: shareholders say
paws off the Arctic" messages.  The bears paraded miserably around the
main entrance to the Hotel while the stockbrokers covered the back.  The
rest of us - in near arctic conditions - handed out the postcards inviting
guests to call BP's bluff.  We also nipped inside and left them in toilets and
on tables wherever we could.  

As a direct communication it went really well, with the vast majority taking
it in a good natured way and enjoying having a pop at BP.  Most people went
in with a smile on their face - not the normal reaction when oilies see GP.
I briefly sneaked into the reception area and heard a couple of groups
talking about BP and the bears. On the way in a couple of groups from other
oil companies - thoroughly enjoying it - took handfulls of cards to post
their view to BP, others sneakily revealed GP membership cards in their
wallets. Someone even asked if they were Arco bears.

Only a few BP guests (defensively) identified themselves. The guest of
honour was UK energy minister Helen Liddell MP (took a card but no
comment). There were plenty of people arriving who couldn't open a car door
for themselves, and some particularly gangster-like high-rolling Russian oil
men. Overall - cold (for non-bears), fun and another successful dig at BP.  

---------------------------------------------------------
Kevin Jardine
Greenpeace International
Climate Campaign
Keizersgracht 176
1016 DW Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: + 31 20 523 6660
Fax: + 31 20 523 6200
E-mail: kjardine@ams.greenpeace.org
------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------
Greenpeace Arctic Activists List
NO NEW OIL
http://greenpeace.org/arctic

************************************************************************************************

Please join the ZPG Action Network now (goto www.actionnetwork.org/zpgaction) and ask Wal-Mart to start carrying Preven.

Or, contact Lee Scott, Wal-Mart's CEO.

email: letters@wal-mart.com Fax Number: 501-621-2063

Lee Scott Wal-Mart Stores 702 SW 8th Street Bentonville, AR 72716

************************************************************************************************

from Global Response Feb 16 2000

campaign to Support the U'wa people

This news re. the campaign to support the U'wa People vs. Occidental Petroleum is circulated by the Amazon Alliance:


1) Fidelity a target in oil protest - Boston Globe, 2/4
2) Fidelity, Gore Urged to Help Block Colombian Occidental Venture, 2/2/
3) U'wa Indians denounce violent eviction - Inter Press Service, 1/31/99
4) Communique from the U'wa People- 1/31

============================================

Fidelity a target in oil protest

By Karen Hsu, Globe Correspondent, 2/4/2000

Environmental and human rights groups yesterday demonstrated outside
Fidelity Investments offices in Boston and 19 other cities to protest the
mutual fund company's stake in Occidental Petroleum Corp., which plans to
drill for oil on land claimed by the U'wa Indians in Colombia.

The groups want Boston-based Fidelity to pressure Occidental to cancel the
drillings and they have threatened to start a campaign to encourage
customers to withdraw their money from the giant investment firm.

In Boston yesterday, about 50 people rallied in the bitter cold as
customers tried to enter Fidelity's Congress Street offices. At one point,
the bomb squad was called after someone tried to handcuff a briefcase with
a tape recorder playing to one of the lobby doors.

Other protests at Fidelity offices took place in Atlanta, New York,
Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. Fidelity controls about 30
million, or about 8.5 percent, of Occidental's shares, the human rights and
environmental groups said.

In Prague, Geneva, and Tel Aviv, the protest groups demonstrated in front
of Colombian embassies.

The U'wa dispute the government's approval of a license for Occidental to
drill for oil, Colombia's largest export, and have tried to block the
drilling equipment.

Last week, the Colombian military began evicting a few members of the U'wa,
a tribe of 5,000 Colombian Indians, from their property to a military base
as machinery tried to move in.  The drill site is in an area of disputed
land. Roberto Perez, the highest elected official of the U'was, says the
site is about 1,600 feet from the tribe's reservation, but the Colombian
government contends it is several miles away. Nonetheless, the area is
considered part of the tribe's ancestral lands, Perez said in a telephone
interview from Bogata, the capital. Perez said the tribe last year bought
two farms on land that has become part of the drilling area.

The U'wa have threatened to walk off a 1,400-foot cliff in the Andes in a
mass suicide to protect the land they considered sacred. Their ritual
chants reminisce a time, hundreds of years ago, when many U'wa jumped off a
cliff to avoid enslavement by Spanish invaders.

''It is not only ecocide, but cultural genocide,'' said Dune Lankard, a
protester in Boston who came from Alaska. Lankard, 40, is a commercial
fisherman who fought for compensation when the Exxon Valdez oil spill
ruined his Eyak people's lands.

The protest was organized by Rainforest Action Network, Amazon Watch, and
other organizations. Rainforest Action Network was effective last year in
persuading Home Depot, the nation's largest retailer of lumber, to agree
not to sell any wood from endangered forests.

A Fidelity spokesman yesterday said the resolution of such disputes should
be in the hands of the government. ''The appropriate authorities of the
world have the responsibility to address matters of this type. We would
hope they would do so fairly and wisely on behalf of their citizens,'' said
Vincent Loporchio, spokesman for Fidelity. ''Our responsibility is to weigh
the impact of these issues on behalf of our mutual fund shareholders.''
Occidental did not return phone calls.

The activists have also targeted Vice President Al Gore, whose Occidental
stock holdings are valued up to $500,000. Those shares came from his father
when he sat on Occidental's board.

Simon Billenness, senior analyst at Trillium Asset Management in Boston, a
socially responsible investment firm with $600 million in client assets,
said that both Fidelity and Gore could influence the petroleum company.

''Both of them could easily pick up the phone and talk to the CEO of
Occidental, which could send a very strong message that this project on
U'wa lands is going to be counterproductive in the long term for
Occidental,'' Billenness said.

This story ran on page A16 of the Boston Globe on 2/4/2000.
? Copyright 2000 Globe Newspaper Company.


-------------------------------------------------

Fidelity, Gore Urged to Help Block Colombian Occidental Venture
2/2/0 19:6 (New York)

Fidelity, Gore Urged to Help Block Colombian Occidental Venture

     Washington, Feb. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Environmental activists are urging
Fidelity Investments and U.S. Vice President Al Gore either to divest their
holdings in Occidental Petroleum Corp. or use their influence to persuade
the company to withdraw from a controversial venture in Colombia.
     Rainforest Action Network and Amazon Watch, two non-profit
environmental groups, are targeting Fidelity, the world's biggest mutual
fund company, and presidential candidate Gore as part of an effort to stop
Occidental's drive to drill oil in a region they say belongs to the U'wa
Indian tribe.
     Fidelity is the second-largest holder of Occidental shares and Gore --
who has billed himself an environmentalist - is executor of an estate that
holds as much as $500,000 worth of stock in the company.
     Members of the U'wa, a tribe that opposes exploration on its ancestral
lands, have threatened to commit mass suicide if the project isn't stopped.
News reports in Colombia say the military began to evict the U'wa from
their lands last week.
     ``I do not want my money supporting something like this,'' said Kathy
Kerridge, an attorney and housewife who owns $47,000 worth of shares in
five Fidelity funds. While she hasn't sold her investments yet, she said,
``if I don't see some kind of action I will sell my shares and transfer
them to another fund and move them out of Fidelity.''

                        Investors' Pressure

     Kerridge is among the two dozen owners of Fidelity funds who have
urged the company to pressure Occidental into withdrawing from the U'wa
tribe's land. One investor has sold off about $300,000 worth of Fidelity
mutual funds to protest the company's actions in Colombia, according to
Rainforest Action Network.
     Tomorrow, activists will hold 22 demonstrations outside Fidelity
offices in the U.S. and nine protests outside Colombian embassies and
Fidelity offices in other countries. Outside the company's headquarters in
Boston, at least one investor will publicly divest her $21,000 worth of
Fidelity funds to protest the
company's 8.25 percent stake in Occidental, said Steve Kretzmann, a
consultant to Amazon Watch's U'wa campaign.
     ``We generally don't comment on customer relationships,'' said Vin
Loporchio, a Fidelity spokesman.
     The campaign is one of the first to expand investor activism -- by
which investors try to force votes on such issues through proxy votes
during annual shareholder meetings -- to the realm of mutual funds. The
activists took aim at Fidelity because it has consistently ranked among the
top three owners of Occidental stock and is a ``leader in its field,'' said
Shannon Wright, director of Rainforest Action Network's ``beyond oil''
campaign.
     ``You're definitely going to see a lot more of this because more
people are investing in mutual funds and the people responsible for
deciding on proxies are increasingly mutual fund managers,'' said Simon
Billenness, a senior analyst with the ``socially responsible'' investment
firm Trillium Asset Management Corp., which manages more than $600 million.
``And they are going to be increasingly lobbied by people like Kathy
Kerridge.''

                        Gore's Connections

     Gore is under fire because of his close connections with Occidental.
     The vice president's personal financial disclosure, filed with the
U.S. Office of Government Ethics, shows him as executor of his late
father's estate, which holds $250,000 to $500,000
worth of Occidental stock.
     The Center for Public Integrity, a non-profit research group in
Washington, reports that Al Gore Sr., the vice president's father, earned
$500,000 a year working for Occidental after he retired from the Senate. In
the past, the younger Gore has flown aboard the company's private jet and
solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions for the
Democratic party from Occidental.
     Laura Quinn, a spokeswoman for the vice president, said his mother,
Pauline Gore, is sole beneficiary of the late Al Gore Sr.'s estate. ``As
far as I'm aware, the campaign has not spoken
on this issue,'' Quinn said.
     Occidental Chairman and Chief Executive Ray Irani ``has access to Al
Gore and to that extent Gore has access to him,'' said Peter Eisner,
managing director of the Center for Public Integrity. ``It's an interesting
tactic and could bear fruit if Gore chooses to do it. I know he can pick up
the phone and call the chairman straight away. Will he do it? I have no
idea.''

                        Political Interests

     The activists say it's in the political interest of Gore -- author of
a popular book on the environment -- to heed their call. ``He does not want
in a presidential year to be connected to one of the world's worst
environmental and human rights disasters,'' Kretzmann said.
     Rainforest Action Network and other groups have also been in touch
with other major Occidental investors, like Vanguard Group, the company's
third-largest shareholder after Fidelity and Sanford