FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 31, 2005

The Illinois State University chapter of SEAC (Student Environmental Action Coalition) will be holding a press conference on Friday, April 8 at 3:30 p.m. in the Spotlight Room at Bone Student Center at ISU to kick off a petition drive asking Governor Rod Blagojevich not to reappoint Jay Bergman to the ISU Board of Trustees.

Bergman is CEO of Petco Petroleum, a firm which has been cited numerous times for environmental and occupational violations in Illinois, Michigan, and Indiana. Most recently, Petco was charged with a series of salt water contamination spills at their St. Elmo site in Fayette County. In remarks to the Pantagraph on January 27, Bergman commented, "Every oil company of any size once in a while gets fined, once in a while has a leak." But in an October complaint related to the Fayette County incident, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan wrote, "Unfortunately, Petco's track record shows that the company has not always taken all the actions required to prevent environmental damage."

"I don't think that Jay Bergman is the kind of man who should be on the ISU Board of Trustees," said Amy Butterworth, co-president of SEAC. "Although he has been generous to the University, polluters should not be appointed to public bodies."

Governor Blagojevich's office has expressed that the governor is undecided about whether or not to reappoint Bergman. SEAC is therefore circulating petitions to ask Blagojevich not to do so. In addition to paper petitions, a web-based petition is available at http://seac.pabn.org.

"We know Jay Bergman has been a donor to Governor Blagojevich's campaign so it's a difficult decision," said Rachel Goad, co-president of SEAC. "We are confident that the governor will put the interests of the state and of ISU first, and not reappoint Jay Bergman."

The press conference will spotlight other environmental and labor violations that Petco has committed and give the media an opportunity to learn about SEAC's other activities at ISU.

"A lot of students don't know about Jay Bergman's track record," said Butterworth. "We hope we can open some eyes as to what's going on right here on campus."

Contact:
Rachel Goad, SEAC Co-President, rkgoad@ilstu.edu, 309-452-6257
Amy Butterworth, SEAC Co-President, albutte@ilstu.edu, 309-454-9229

Links:
Online Petition
Background Information