NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
APRIL 23, 2003

Contact:
Denny Larson, Refinery Reform Campaign: 800-670-3841

SHELL REFINERY VICTIMS TO CONFRONT COMPANY OFFICIALS, SHAREHOLDERS AT 4/23 ANNUAL MEETING Toxic Air Pollution, Environmental Racism, Unfair Play Top Community Activist Concerns

(LONDON, UK) On Wednesday 23rd April victims of toxic air pollution from Shell (NYSE:RD) refineries worldwide will challenge the company's board of directors to take responsibility for the company's irresponsible and dangerous conduct in communities that border the energy giant's plants. The Anglo-Dutch firm is holding its annual general meeting (AGM) in London, and The Hague in the Netherlands.

Community representatives from Port Arthur, Texas, Norco, Louisiana, South Africa, Nigeria, and from the Philippines have traveled to London where they will attend the AGM as shareholders, organized by the Refinery Reform Campaign and Friends of the Earth.

Shell's neighbors will to raise a range of concerns at the meeting about Shell's impact on their environment and on their health. Many have spent years raising their concerns with local managers. They are now coming to London to publicly demand that Shell directors take responsibility for the behavior of their local operations.

"Shell's top management from London needs to come to Port Arthur, Texas, and help correct the problems of dangerous toxic pollution the plant routinely dumps on our neighborhood," said Hilton Kelly a community leader in Port Arthur, Texas. "Plant officials continually rely on legal loopholes to dump in our air, creating a health burden on their neighbors. Because of the pervasive pattern of injustice here in the South, we can not get the local Shell facility to take the needed action."

"We worked for a fair and just relocation because of our health problems and the impact of industrial pollution, "said Margie Richard, founder of the Concerned Citizens of Norco. " Now we are asking Shell to make sure that there is a accountability for our health problems to the past and present residents of Diamond, even after relocation." The Refinery Reform Campaign, a Texas based project, contacted the refinery neighbors and organized their travel to London.

NEW REPORT ON SHELL
At the meeting a report on Shell's activities and impacts around the world will be launched. The report will be available at www.shellfacts.com.

Download a copy of the report in Adobe pdf format from this site.