The provision of political risk insurance for a natural gas pipeline that will cut through a primary tropical forest and a pristine wetlands area at Ipias, in the Bolivian Amazon, is under consideration of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). Amazon Watch, Friends of the Earth, and WWF tried to influence OPIC's Board of Directors for them to deny funding to this project (see WRM Bulletin 20)
On March 9th the Board voted to delay a decision on the questioned loan guarantees. Spokespersons of the organizations that are resisting the construction of the pipeline consider that this is “a small victory” and are committed to go on putting pressure for the project to be significantly improved or definitively withdrawn before the next OPIC vote.
For more information, please contact: Jon Sohn, Friends of the Earth or Atossa Soltani, Amazon Watch.
Source: Atossa Soltani, 9/3/99.