Fossil fuel protesters rally outside Houston's CERAWeek energy conference
March 19, 2024
By Rebekah F. Ward
Environmental activists rallied, shouted and sang at a "Festival for People & Planet" Monday to protest CERAWeek by S&P Global and actions by top oil and gas company executives attending the annual conference to talk growth in the energy industry.
The small festival took place at downtown Houston's Discovery Green, across the street from the Hilton Americas and George R. Brown Convention Center where CERAWeek is held. Protesters said fossil fuel industry leaders drive the big-budget meeting's agenda, planning the growth of the sector while residents of the nation's energy capital who live on industrial fencelines are left out.
"CERAWeek provides a pedestal for government decision-makers, 'big oil' CEOs and financiers to push dangerous projects like the HyVelocity Hydrogen Hub, carbon capture and chemical recycling on the Houston region without any community involvement whatsoever," said Dominic Chacón, regional coordinator for Texas Campaign for the Environment who organized the event. S&P Global did not respond to his statements or protest targets.
The exclusion felt more personal to local environmentalists this time. At least two well-known advocates who are frequent speakers at government and nonprofit events were barred from buying CERAWeek tickets, even after raising thousands of dollars for the hefty entrance fee: Port Arthur Community Action Network founder John Beard and Fenceline Watch founder Yvette Arellano.
Fenceline Watch Policy Director Shiv Srivastava said Arellano and other key community activists had raised money to attend the conference for the past few years, to get a chance to find out what power players discussed so they could better prepare Houston communities in the shadow of energy infrastructure for coming changes.
"We have a set of supporters that has been able to get us in, and it is invaluable for us at Fenceline Watch," Srivastava said. "It's hard to organize proper public participation when you're blindsided."
Yvette Arellano, 36, and Shiv Srivastava, 38, join environmental activists and community members impacted by fossil fuels to protest outside the CERAWeek by S&P Gobal energy conference in Houston. Raquel Natalicchio/Staff photographer
After paying $8,500 for a conference ticket, Arellano said she got an email on Feb. 22 saying the order had been canceled. The email, reviewed by the Chronicle, did not include any reason for the change.
S&P Global organizers did not respond to a request for comment, but last year cited safety over a decision to bar a separate activist.
Set up to speak at the festival outside of the conference, though, activists who traveled to Houston from along the industry-heavy Gulf Coast did not hold back.
"We know that these fossil fuel companies have been poisoning people and communities, causing suffering and premature death for decades," rally speaker James Hiatt shouted to a crowd of more than 50 spread out across the lawn. "The folks at CERAWeek and the politicians continue to allow corporate money to put profit over people."
Hiatt co-founded the environmental group For a Better Bayou in Lake Charles, La., where he is still based. His speech was followed up with talks by groups from Freeport and Brazoria.
CERAWeek's 2024 agenda saw a substantial increase in science-based panels about climate change costs and proposed solutions, though multiple top oil executives have used the moment to roll back previous commitments to the energy transition. The conference scheduled no events on impacts the energy industry has on the persistent environmental health and disease outcomes of communities living in the shadow of their facilities.