July 11, 2001

Auckland Regional Council Chairman Philip Warren is urging New Zealanders to join in tomorrow’s International Day of Action Against Mobil.

The action day is to protest Mobil’s stand against reducing greenhouse gases internationally but in New Zealand groups are also using it to target Mobil over its blocking of an ARC initiative to bring lower sulphur diesel to Auckland.

“I have called for a boycott of Mobil and they haven’t changed their stance. We are not backing away from this issue because it is about the health of Aucklanders who make up one third of this country’s population,” Cr Warren says.

“The ARC has received support from all over the country for taking a lead on this issue and I hope people all over New Zealand will use tomorrow as an opportunity to show their disapproval of Mobil by boycotting their stations.”

Mobil remains the only one of New Zealand’s four major oil companies not prepared to use spare capacity at the New Zealand Refinery to produce cleaner diesel for Auckland.

The International Day of Action against Mobil is being supported locally by Greenpeace and the Green Party who are taking part in protests outside selected Mobil service stations.

Cr Warren says he is pleased to see Auckland City are playing their part by debating the issue at their full council meeting tomorrow night.

A notice of motion from Deputy Mayor Bruce Hucker recommends: that the (Auckland City) council support the ARC’s efforts on this issue; that the council sends a letter to appropriate Ministers encouraging them to bring additional pressure on Mobil; and that the council encourages residents to join the boycott of Mobil.

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