Supporting statementSUPPORTING STATEMENT
Inadequate oversight and a lack of checks-and-balances has allowed management to mishandle multiple issues, increasing both risk and cost to stockholders.
A recent report entitled Chevron’s Global Destruction1 (the “Report”) – an expansive compendium of documented legal actions filed against Chevron and its subsidiaries globally – reveals that Chevron is liable for $55 billion in judgments and seizure claims globally (including fines and interest), and that the Company’s actions have destroyed critical biodiversity around the planet. This Report was entered into the Congressional Record2 as part of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing entitled: Fueling the Climate Crisis: Exposing Big Oil’s Disinformation Campaign to Prevent Climate Action.
A year ago, Chevron CEO/board chair Michael Wirth was formally asked by the House Oversight Committee to respond to the Report’s findings, but he has not done so. Despite management’s assertions regarding respect for human rights and adherence to environmental standards, investors worry that 71% of the cases detailed in the Report indicate grave violations of rights to land, life, and safety. Of these reported cases, 65% alleged severe human rights abuses – including torture, forced labor/slavery, rape, murder, and genocide – in thirteen (13) countries, including: Angola, Burma/Myanmar, Cameroon, Chad, China, East Timor, Ghana, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, and Thailand.
As well, the Report documents serious allegations that Chevron has violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) in eight (8) countries: Angola, Argentina, Cambodia, Equatorial Guinea, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, and Liberia. Furthermore, the Report indicates that Chevron has not responded to charges that it has refused to comply with mandated cleanups in fifteen (15) countries, including the United States: Argentina, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Burma/Myanmar, Cambodia, China, Ecuador, East Timor, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Ghana, Thailand, the United States, and Venezuela.
Inadequate Board attention to management’s actions – perhaps in large part the result of not having an independent chair – has intensified the severity of these reported incidents, and will contribute to the emergence of future risks and controversies in other arenas of the Company’s global operations. An independent Chair would improve oversight of management, enhance accountability to shareholders, protect against mounting legal judgements, and ensure that appropriate levels of attention are being paid to avoiding long-term risks such as those detailed herein.
THEREFORE: Please vote FOR this intelligent and much needed Independent Chair proposal.
1 https://docs.house.gov/meetings/GO/GO00/20211028/114185/HHRG-117-GO00-20211028-SD018.pdf2 https://docs.house.gov/Committee/Calendar/ByEvent.aspx?EventID=114185