Methyl Bromide Global Coalition Bromide Baron Rap Sheet #7March 31st, 1997 |
Address: c/o TriCal, P.O. Box 1327, Hollister, CA 95024 and Major Business: Represent the big international producers of methyl bromide, as well as TriCal Inc., primarily in the international political arena. Activities: Funding research that casts doubt on the broad scientific consensus that methyl bromide poses a serious threat to the stratospheric ozone layer. Directly influencing Montreal Protocol debate on banning methyl bromide. Operating Budget: Unknown. The Methyl Bromide Global Coalition (MBGC) has exerted significant influence on all aspects of the methyl bromide debate, inserting itself as a central player in international scientific panels, diplomatic negotiations and public pronouncements on the issue. As such, this small group of corporations has had an utterly disproportionate influence on the Montreal Protocol negotiations -- an international diplomatic forum dedicated to preserving the health of the Planet. Perhaps the most curious aspect of the MBGC is that it is chaired and coordinated by Dr. Tom Duafala of TriCal Inc.. This has led to a highly inappropriate situation where a plant pathologist employed by a secretive, privately held corporation based in Central California -- a corporation whose business currently depends on methyl bromide fumigation -- is exerting a significant and disproportionate influence on international governmental negotiations to reduce and eliminate the hole in the ozone layer -- a serious threat to the security of the peoples of the world. Junk ScienceThe MBGC, led by TriCal's Dr. Tom Duafala, has distorted scientific findings to suit the organization's goals. In one case, the methyl bromide industry circulated alleged "conclusions" of a scientific meeting called Methyl Bromide State of the Science Workshop held in June 1995. In this case however, the "conclusions" were not the workshop's findings, but rather a paper authored by Duafala--although his name and that of the MBGC failed to appear on the first version circulated, lending the appearance that they were the official scientific conclusions of the workshop. This deceptive document contained the methyl bromide industry's "spin" on science, including unfounded claims such as "increasing agricultural use of methyl bromide has had no measurable affect on atmospheric levels [of ozone]."[2] The paper certainly failed to give a true acount of the conclusions of the workshops. Moreover, government officials in a number of countries were led to believe that this summary was official and that it had, in fact, been approved by the United Nations and independent scientists. As a result, the United Nations Environment Programme, as well as officials from NOAA and NASA were compelled to issue statements warning about inaccurate industry statements, indicating the misleading nature of this publication and pointing to the series of scientific inaccuracies it contained.[3] Global LobbyistsWhile ostensibly formed as a scientific "research" arm of the methyl bromide industry, the MBGC is engaged in lobbying activities at various levels. For instance, when the methyl bromide issue heated up in California in late 1995 and early 1996, the MBGC, as well as its individual members, descended on Sacramento to lobby the California State Legislature.[4] On a national level, the MBGC's Washington D.C. office is also the Methyl Bromide Working Group's office. TriCal President Dean Storkan describes the MBWG as "clearly a lobbying group."[5] The two "organizations" share the same telephone and fax lines. And in the Montreal Protocol negotiations, the MBGC -- an association of the largest transnational corporate producers of methyl bromide -- clearly steps beyond the bounds of independent science and into the realm of political lobbying. Indeed, it appears that the MBGC plays a leadership role for the virtual army of corporate lobbyists which invades every gathering of the Montreal Protocol. Endnotes
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