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                              NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 30, 1995

                 CANADIAN ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP CALLS FOR
                     INTERNATIONAL CONSUMER BOYCOTT 
                       OF ESSO AND EXXON PRODUCTS

     On Friday June 30 1995, the Calgary based Rocky Mountain
Ecosystem Coalition (RMEC) initiated an international consumer
"Boycott of ESSO and EXXON" products. This boycott of ESSO and
EXXON products is being called because of the environmentally 
destructive activities of Esso (Imperial Oil), Exxon's Canadian
subsidiary, in some of the last and best wilderness remaining in
the Rocky Mountains of western Canada. 

     ESSO, based in Calgary, has proposed an exploratory natural
gas well in the Belcourt wilderness, located in the northern Rocky
Mountains of northeastern British Columbia adjacent to the Alberta
border. Located 150 km south of Dawson Creek, the Belcourt
wilderness is currently a pristine wilderness where natural
ecological process function unimpaired by human activities. Because
of this the area is home to many species of wildlife including 
populations of endangered woodland caribou, bull trout and grizzly
bear. 

     ESSO's proposed exploratory well will involve the construction
of 26 kilometres of access road, of which over six kilometres will
be above treeline in a pristine alpine environment. This road will
create motorized access where none had previously existed and will
result in increased disturbance and mortality of sensitive wildlife
populations, reducing the viability of those populations. In short,
the construction of the proposed road will contribute in a
significant way to lost wilderness values, lost ecological
integrity and significantly increases the risk that sensitive
species like the caribou, bull trout and grizzly bear may become
extinct in the Rocky Mountains. 

Mike Sawyer, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Ecosystem
Coalition, stated that:

     "The construction of ESSO's proposed access road and the
     drilling of an exploratory sour gas well will result in
     increased mortality of caribou, grizzly bears, wolves as well
     as other species and will result in a significant loss of
     ecological integrity and ultimately  a reduction in the rich
     biodiversity currently found in the Belcourt region.



     The RMEC claims about the seriousness of the proposed ESSO
Belcourt well are not exaggerated and are in fact collaborated by
local environmental groups from northeast British Columbia. Wayne
Sawchuck of the Friends of the Northern Rockies stated that:

     "...this road is extremely damaging to alpine habitat and
     wilderness values..."

     The ESSO well is also significant in that it is the first time
that the Government of British Columbia has approved a well
application in spite of the opposition from professional biologists
and foresters from within the Ministry of Forests and the Ministry
of Environment, Lands and Parks. Confidential government
correspondence obtained by the RMEC provide insights into the
seriousness of the objections of these two Ministries.

     In a November 23, 1994 letter to the Ministry of Energy, Mines
and Petroleum Resources (MEMPR), Bob Brash, of the British Columbia
Forest Service wrote the following about ESSO's proposed
exploratory well:

     "...the concerns of the Dawson Creek Forest District have been
     consistent. These concerns are... the permanent degradation of
     alpine and sub-alpine habitat...the interruption of sensitive
     sideslopes in the Holtslander Creek drainage...erosion of the
     semi-primitive and primitive landbase (an already scarce
     resource)...the fact that the degradation of sensitive alpine
     habitats such as the Belcourt will be repeated many times in
     the next few years due to gas exploration activities...if the
     debate to allow drilling in these habitats went through a
     public process...that many stakeholders would seriously
     question the access road."

     In an April 21, 1995 letter to the MEMPR, Mr. Brash wrote the
following about the ESSO Belcourt well:

     "The Dawson Creek Forest District remains opposed to this
     authorization...there continues to be, contrary to your
     letter, many reasons to deny this application."

     In a May 4, 1995 letter, Mr. Brash, wrote the following about
the decision of the MEMPR to approve the ESSO Belcourt well:

     "...the decision appear(s) to be contrary to the Minister of
     Forests (MOF) input. In this instance MOF input into the
     project has been judged insignificant or inconsequential...It
     is our basic assumption that the proposed project violates one
     or more of the basic principles [of the Forest Practices
     Code]...By ESSO's own admission, habitat and visual impacts
     are essentially permanent."


     Correspondence from the regional fish and wildlife biologists
regarding ESSO's proposed Belcourt well echo the same concerns
expressed by the MOF. In spite of this unprecedented display of
opposition from within the Government, the MEMPR has chosen to
ignore those concerns and approve ESSO's application for the
Belcourt exploratory well. 

     The RMEC has initiated the "Boycott ESSO and EXXON" campaign
to inform consumers of ESSO and Exxon products of the magnitude and
seriousness of the environmental damage being wrought by these two
companies and the natural gas industry as a whole. The RMEC also
wishes to inform the international community that the Government of
British Columbia's disregard for the environment and democratic
processes applies not only to its well documented mismanagement of
its forests but also to its petroleum and natural gas resources.
Finally, the RMEC believes that all international consumers of
energy should also be aware that natural gas, in spite of the past
proclamations of the natural gas industry, is not an
environmentally benign or clean burning source of energy. There are
significant environmental costs associated with producing and
consuming natural gas which are currently not being accounted for
by governments or industry. 

     The RMEC will pursue the "Boycott ESSO and EXXON" campaign
until ESSO voluntarily withdraws its proposed Belcourt well or
until the Government of British Columbia cancels its approval of
the ESSO Belcourt well. 

     The RMEC, concurrent with this news release, is requesting
support for the Boycott ESSO and EXXON campaign from the
international environmental community using the internet. 


FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT:

ROCKY MOUNTAIN ECOSYSTEM COALITION

Mr. Micheal Sawyer 
Executive Director
Suite 921, 610 - 8th Avenue S.W.
Calgary, Alberta.  T2P 1G5

Telephone (403) 266-2468

E-mail: rmec@nucleus.com

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