European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 07, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday May 7, 1989 the stars and stripes Page 3 Exxon exhorted to clean up its act new York up Exxon corp. Has agreed 10 respond to the demands of major investors the controllers of pen Sion funds that it clean up its manage ment As Well As the Alaska Oil spill pen Sion fund spokesmen said Friday. Company president Lee Raymond met thursday afternoon with officials of five new York pension funds who threatened to oust members of the Exxon Board of directors at the Oil com Pany s May 18 annual meeting unless five demands arc met. The five pension funds together hold 6 million shares of Exxon Stock. Both Raymond and Exxon chairman Lawrence Rawl arc among the Exxon managers on the Board of directors. The meeting was confirmed by an Exxon spokesman new York City finance commissioner Anthony Shorris and comptroller Harrison Gooldin who met with Raymond As representatives of the pension funds. One of the five pension funds is for City employees. They asked for a couple of Days to get Back to us Shorris told United press International in a Telephone inter View. He said the discussion with Ray mond concerned corporate govern Ance and Steps Exxon management should take to prevent further spills. The March 24 spill of an Exxon Tanker in Prince William sound was the largest in . History. A spokesman for Goldin said Exxon agreed to respond to the five demands before the annual meeting but set no Date. We want environmental not Legal answers he said. Environmental con Cerns Are not seen to be up there in the boardroom the spokesman said. On thursday Raymond conceded that in an Economy move several years ago Exxon disbanded a nine Man environmental group at its new York head quarters. But he said the company s Environ mental capability had not suffered be cause the group s authority had been Given to Exxon operating units. The executive said one of the former group s two world class environmentalists Ken Canavero was working for Exxon As a consultant in Alaska on the spill. An Exxon spokesman Friday declined to comment on the thursday meeting other than to say Raymond would give the pension funds suggestions full  if the response is not adequate Well poll members of the pension funds proxy committee to vote our 6 million shares against the company managers on the Exxon Board at the company s annual meeting May 18," Shorris said. He said the group had been in con tact with other pension funds officials outside the new York area in the Hopes of bringing pressure on Exxon manage ment. Although the funds May control Only a few percentage Points of Exxon Stock their influence is much greater because of Public scrutiny Shorris said. Collectively the new York pension funds arc the fifth largest in the nation the official said. The Goldin spokesman said we re distressed at what appears to be a Lack of preparedness on the part of the company to Deal with environmental issues. He added that Exxon appears to renegotiating in Good Faith and we want to continue the  the meeting was fairly fruitful the spokesman said. He said re establishing a new environmental group at the com Pany s Headquarters was not one of the five demands. That was discussed Back in april the spokesman said. Gro Harlem Brundtland confers with president Bush during her . Visit. Norway could have coped with Exxon spill Leader says Washington a norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland said Friday her government would have been More successful than the United states in cleaning up the Alaska Oil spill. Brundtland. Speaking at the National press club said her country has belter legislation and contingency plans to Deal with the Type of disaster that sent 10 million Gallons of Oil into Prince William sound on March 24 and destroyed Lush wildlife habitats. Brundtland said that when she served As environmental minister in the 1970s, the Challenge of becoming a Young Oil nation with installations in the North sea really was taken seriously by the norwegian Public and by the political  the norwegian parliament passed legislation giving the government control Over safety codes and contingency plan Ning of Oil companies drilling on the coun try s Continental shelf. In 1977, she said Oil spilled from a dutch Phillips co. Platform in the North sea. And i was very Happy that we had secured the Legal base in that Concession for the norwegian government to control and manage Phillips so that the company took the necessary action. They knew that if their proposals were not extensive and serious enough Brundtland said they would have been Given decisions from the norwegian government on what to do. And i do believe that the contingency planning on Oil spills and Oil pollution along the norwegian coast. Is not exist ing in the United slates she added. Critics have accused the Federal govern Mcnol of lacking contingency plans for Deal ing with Oil disasters and there has Bee discussion in Congress of legislating a Sim Ilar requirement for Oil companies. . Urges allies to open markets further Washington up Progress has been made to get . Trading part ners to reduce their surpluses but West Germany and Japan must do More to open their markets and increase Domestic demand for goods Treasury Secretary Nicholas Brady says. Brady appearing before the Senlac banking committee on Friday chided Bonn for not stimulating growth in West Germany s Domestic Economy. Despite some improvement in Over All growth last year West Germany s current account surplus Rose to record Levels and is expected to Rise further this year As growth in Domestic demand slows Brady said in prepared testimony. More needs to be accomplished to encourage Domestic growth and to re move impediments to investment and Job  Brady commended Japan for its efforts to increase Domestic growth. But he said further Progress is needed in Struc Tural reforms to open japanese markets to . Goods and to get the japanese to buy their own products rather Ihen Export them. Japan s Trade surplus declined Only modestly last year and is expected to be Little changed m 1989," he said. Brady also called on South Korea an other nation with a Large Trade surplus with the United states to Stop undervaluing its currency to get a trading advantage Over other countries. Negotiations Wilh South Korea resulted in a 16 percent appreciation in inc won in 1988. But the currency still Trail the strength of the roaring korean econ omy which registered a $14,3 billion Trade surplus last year including s9.5 billion with the United Stales he said. This year the koreans have slowed the appreciation of the won As the Trade imbalance with America has eased he said. Brady said negotiations with Taiwan another country with a Large Trade sur plus have led to appreciation of the Tai wan Dollar and a 26 percent reduction in the country s Trade surplus with inc unil de slates to si2.7 billion in 1988. Our bilateral negotiations with Korea and Taiwan have achieved important Progress that could set the stage for a lasting significant reduction in their external imbalances he said. Cartoon caper ends in arrest Rye Brook . A Crinow stoppers tip no. 236 always question the curator. Authorities in Rye Brook did just thai and solved the Case of the missing comic strips by arresting 27-year-old Sherman Krisher of Green wich Conn who was accused of swiping 30 Origi Nal Dick Tracy cartoons. The former curator at the museum of cartoon Art has been charged Wilh stealing More than$50,000" Worth of original comic amps including Tracy and Prince valiant panels Westchester county District attorney Carl Vergari said. Bush May seek alternative car fuel Law Washington a the Bush administration is considering legislation to encourage the nation s automakers to build cars thai use alternative fuel the environmental prot Calion Agency says. William g. Rosenberg. President Bush s nominee to head the Epa s clean air programs has talked Wilh the big three automakers in an Effort to win i hair support for the commercial manufacture of cars and trucks burning a Mcl Hanol gasoline mix a spokesman said. He was merely trying to Tell them he hoped Shere would t be a knee Jerk rejection of alternative fuels said David Cohen Epa spokesman. If greater usage of alternative fuels could have a beneficial Impact of reducing air pollution in this country it is going to be Given serious consideration As the administration makes up its mind and drafts its Bill on clean  Cohen said Rosenberg talked in late april Wilh exec Ulics of general motors corp., Ford motor co. Chrysler corp. And inc motor vehicle manufacturer association a Trade group. Cohen said thai Rosenberg outlined the Benc fils of methanol which has been presented As a Means of culling emissions of gases that cause smog and a Way of reducing . Dependence on foreign Oil. Inevitably the Point was made that if alternative fuels prove 10 be As effective in terms of their Environ mental benefits As we think they May be it will relieve hit of the pressure to explore other control options Cohen said. Prospects for production of alternative fuels have been darkened by the Lack of a National distribution system for methanol and concerns about poor performance. The three major . Automakers have produced prototypes of cars thai can run on a mixture composed mainly of methanol