Google the phrase, “received international recognition for their contributions to wildlife habitat conservation,” and a list of stories praising historically-not-so-eco-friendly companies like ExxonMobil, GM, DuPont, Monsanto, and Alcoa appear. The articles, many in local newspapers nationwide, are reprints of press releases from the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC), an organization that all of the above organizations belong to. (Their logo includes a smokestack, a fish, and a tree).
Kinder Morgan, the energy-shipping company that’s currently hoping to place a 20-acre coal pile along the Cooper River and has a nationwide laundry list of environmental offenses in their ten year history, sponsored WHC’s “The Value of Green” conference this year, where they earned an International Habitat Conservation Award for their work on a one-acre island site in California. Half of that one acre has been restored with brush piles and native shrubs, providing habitat for rabbits, raccoons, and skunks.
“Congratulations to Kinder Morgan for stepping up to meet the challenges of creating a healthy and biodiverse natural world,” says WHC President Robert Johnson in the release. “WHC members embrace their role as leaders in environmental stewardship at the local, national and global level.”
Congratulations Kinder Morgan, on preserving half an acre and getting international recognition from a group you give money too. Cough, cough…
