Dear supporter, WHERE SHOULD POWER LIE IN 2018 IN PORTUGAL? WITH THE PEOPLE OR WITH OIL COMPANIES? Right now, the country and its people are still under the very serious threat of offshore and onshore drilling for oil and gas this year. On 21 December 2017 when ASMAA’s petition was debated in Parliament, the outcome was a massive YES by government to support oil and gas drilling activities, from the south to the north of Portugal. This drilling endorsement by the government is also an endorsement for Fracking. The government using “sold by date” tactics of the “NEED TO KNOW” what assets the country has, has once again missed the opportunity to act responsibly and to comply with the mandate given to it by 42,000 people. It chose instead to side with big oil and to ignore the will of the people. But it is still not too late to try and STOP them. They can be stopped by the courts and by continuous manifestation of the will of the people using a diversified mix of interventions! ASMAA wants to use a whole range of smart, targeted tactics to show the Portuguese government that when the people say “no” it means “NO”. Our reach has spread globally across continents to people who love Portugal, who love nature, and who wants to protect our oceans and our natural resources on land, and although our focus until now has been the Algarve, ASMAA is now going national with our campaign. Cancellation of contracts is no longer our primary focus, as any contract cancelled can be renegotiated and new contracts signed. Instead we now are going to fight for the cancellation of the law that underpins the contracts themselves. In 2018, we will be focusing on the foundation that supports the current oil and gas exploration contracts; the law 109/94 … and we know that we have a strong case. We can roll out this plan if we get the money to pay for it. During the past few years it has been the support of people like you that each week, each month donated the funds we needed to have the impact that we have had. But to continue to be the massive force for change that we know we are, we need to increase our efforts even more, and to win this and other campaigns like this, we need your regular donation. In 2018, we need to know that we will have in our bank each month a minimum of 3,500€ per month - currently we have 52,00€ in the bank and still have suppliers that have to be paid for purchases made last year, and let’s not forget that heavy legal costs have now been added to the mix too (Legal = 7 legal battles in development to STOP oil exploration in Portugal). Can you spare 20€, 50€, 100€ per month to power the campaign? If YES, then show your support by donating today. DONATE NOW YOU CAN DONATE VIA PAYPAL OR VIA BANK TRANSFER Via PayPal: info@asmaa-algarve.org or via the link on this page: http://asmaa-algarve.org/en/donate REF: Say NO To Oil VIA BANK TRANSFER SANTANDER TOTTA (LAGOS ALGARVE) ASMAA Algarve Surf and Marine Activities Association IBAN: PT50 0018 0008 02686698020 51 REF: Say NO to Oil *************************************************************************** WHAT DOES THIS THREAT LOOK LIKE IN REALITY? On the 21 December, a few days before Christmas, during the voting against three proposals to stop once and for all oil and gas exploration in Portugal, the government gave the people a rotten apple as a Christmas present by rejecting proposals by BE (Bloco de Esquerda), PAN and the Greens that had they been approved would have seen the end of oil and gas exploration in Portugal, and all contracts cancelled. The only proposal that got the green light was a proposal by the PCP (Communist party) that proposed a halt to exploration by Galp/ENI in the Santola concession pending the results of an environmental impact study. The bottom line? Oil and gas exploration, including Fracking has the full support of the government! Threat in the South (Galp/ENI) - On 31 December 2017 the Santola contract held by Galp/ENI was technically due for cancellation, although the consortium requested an extension to 2019. To date the government has failed to inform the people on what is planning on doing. Will it refuse the request for postponement and thus ensure the cancellation of the contract or will it be granted? If cancelled, does it mean that no new contracts will be signed between the government and the consortium, or are negotiations already taking place behind closed doors and far from the prying eyes of the people’s and their right to know? Threat in the North (Australis) - Australis was granted two major concessions in 2015, labelled as Pombal and Batalha. These concessions give Australis the right to drill in an area integrated in 3 districts, 12 council areas and includes in the concession areas more than 10 historical, cultural and religious sites, including the shrine of Fatima, Monastery of Alcobaça and Batalha, as well as “Pinhal de Leiria”, and various historical castles. The drilling extractive technology that will be used in above areas will in all probability include unconventional drilling methodologies such as Fracking. Bit if we can force the CANCELLATION of the law (law 109/94) that underpins all the current contracts and any new contracts currently under negotiation we can STOP this threat! We can beat this together. There’s a great plan in place and a strong implementable strategy. If enough of us chip in, we can get started in 2018. Can you spare 20€, 50€, 100€ per month to power the campaign? If YES, then show your support by donating today. DONATE NOW YOU CAN DONATE VIA PAYPAL OR VIA BANK TRANSFER Via PayPal: info@asmaa-algarve.org or via the link on this page: http://asmaa-algarve.org/en/donate REF: Say NO To Oil VIA BANK TRANSFER SANTANDER TOTTA (LAGOS ALGARVE) ASMAA Algarve Surf and Marine Activities Association IBAN: PT50 0018 0008 02686698020 51 REF: Say NO to Oil ************************************************************************* WHAT WILL YOUR REGULAR DONATION HELP DO? Things are positioned to start moving fast, and based on the strategic plan that we have, it looks like we’re going to need in 2018: · On-going expert research. · Continued legal advice, and legal representation by a multi-disciplinary legal team during up-coming court battles. (Main cases and court injunctions) · Targeted social media campaigns. · Banners, placards and props to create high visual impact demonstrations. · Photographers and cameramen to help take our message from the streets to reach hundreds of thousands online. · Travel, accommodation and communication costs. Regular donations make all the difference because they let us plan many months ahead. It means we can set a budget for the plan, secure in the knowledge that donations will come in to pay the bills. It’s by harnessing the financial power of small contributions that we become, together, a force for change that can stand up to the oil companies threatening Portugal’s environment and our socioeconomic sustainability as a community. Are you in? Can you spare 20€, 50€, 100€ per month to power the campaign? If YES, then show your support by donating today. DONATE NOW YOU CAN DONATE VIA PAYPAL OR VIA BANK TRANSFER Via PayPal: info@asmaa-algarve.org or via the link on this page: http://asmaa-algarve.org/en/donate REF: Say NO To Oil VIA BANK TRANSFER SANTANDER TOTTA (LAGOS ALGARVE) ASMAA Algarve Surf and Marine Activities Association IBAN: PT50 0018 0008 02686698020 51 REF: Say NO to Oil We wish you a fantastic 2018, and you can read about ASMAA’s highlights for 2017 here http://asmaa-algarve.org/en/news/what-s-new/asmaa-highlights-of-2017 Thank you, The ASMAA Team 282 182 103 | 969 320 231 http://asmaa-algarve.org