TODAY: Transparency Bill before Congress 

Initiated in 2003 by our Cameroonian partners, embraced by the 2004 General Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches in Accra, and officially endorsed by the 2008 Presbyterian Church USA General Assembly in San Jose, the Joining Hands Extractive Industries Transparency campaign, in conjunction with the Publish What You Pay-US (PWYP-US) coalition members and their international partners has culminated in a bipartisan effort by Senators Richard Lugar (R-IN), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Russ Feingold (D-WI), when they introduced TODAY a long awaited resource revenue transparency bill. Called the Energy Security through Transparency (ESTT) Act, this new legislation would require companies to publish the payments they make to governments for oil, gas and minerals. Read the PWYP-US press release.

In poor but resource-rich countries, the vast revenues generated in the extractive industries tend to prop up corrupt leaders, break down democratic processes, and support civil wars rather than improve living standards for a majority of people, who are at the brink of survival. This trend is perpetuated by a shroud of secrecy that obscure the financial transactions and deals between companies and their host governments. The new, historic US legislation would reverse this phenomenon, called the "resource curse".

As the vote is imminent, there is no time to lose. We need as many US constituents as possible to CONTACT NOW their representatives in support of this bill. The PWYP coalition has made it simple for you to write your congress(wo)man over the internet. Just click the blue action button below, fill in the requested info so the letter will indeed go to your legislator, and then send. Presbyterians may as faith-based constituents wish to copy and paste this letter to replace the suggested, more generic text.

NB. When you are finished, do not forget to forward this action alert to all in your contact list.

In name of our Cameroonian Joining Hands friends and all of their fellow PWYP campaigners in Africa:  THANK YOU!