Oil Watchdog

SANTA MONICA, CA — After the debut of Chevron’s $15 million "Power of
Human Energy" ad campaign — which aims at engaging discussion on
energy issues and launched on a two-and-a-half minute spot on CBS’ 60
Minutes — the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR)
lambasted the company, calling its efforts a "gauzy, Hollywood-slick"
way for a strategy to keep profits high while rejecting a commitment to
the future of renewable energy, the organization stated.

"This ad gives short shrift to renewable fuels and belies previous
Chevron statements that the development of ethanol is an immediate
reason not to invest in its current oil refineries," Judy Dugan,
research director of OilWatchdog.org, a FTCR project, said in a
statement. "Chevron’s ads make it
appear vaguely committed to clean energy, while its corporate
executives use biofuels as an excuse to curb refinery capacity. The
company is also buying back $15 billion of its own stock this year,
which boosts Chevron’s stock value but does nothing to improve its
current business or create a renewable future."

As CSNews Online reported yesterday, four advertisements will
appear on television in the U.S. and regionally in Latin America,
Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, on channels such as CNNI, BBC
and Discovery, Chevron stated.

The campaign also includes print ads, online ads and special
events. Global television advertisements — "The Impossible," "New
Frontiers" and "Renewable Energy" — will appear in 1-minute and
30-second spots, the company stated.

These ads will focus on the effect energy has on our lives and
the commitment, ingenuity and responsibility Chevron practices to bring
energy supplies to the market, according to the company.

"The energy industry is one of the most complex and vital
industries in the world. Yet public opinion is most frequently shaped
by the price at the pump," Chevron vice chairman Peter Robertson said
in a company statement. "How we find, produce and use energy are
critical issues of our time. We all need to participate in developing
and shaping our energy future. Chevron takes on this challenge every
day."

In its statement, FTCR cited an Associated Press report, in
which Robertson discussed ethanol and refinery increases. FTCR quoted
Robertson as telling the AP, "Why would I invest in a refinery when
you’re trying to make 20 percent of the gasoline supply ethanol?"

FTCR also called the new campaign as a reversal from the
company’s "Real Issues" campaign that focused on regulation of oil
companies, the organization stated.

"The ‘Real Issues’ ads were all too obviously aimed at
intimidating any effort by lawmakers to rein in Chevron’s federal
corporate welfare payments or its gouging of consumers," said Dugan.
"Chevron and the rest of Big Oil, having succeeded in gutting the
federal energy bill of anything that might curb its
profiteering, now aims to persuade consumers that it is a friendly
corporate citizen. With gasoline hitting $3 again and no renewable
alternatives at neighborhood Chevron pumps, motorists will have a hard
time swallowing that."

In addition, the FTCR claimed that the new ad campaign is a repeat of its older "People Do" campaign.

"That campaign also focused on friendly, helpful Chevron
employees and their commitment to community and environment," said
Dugan. "The campaign lasted for 20 years and was the very definition of
greenwashing."