NUCLEAR WEAPONS PRODUCTION
Honeywell manufactures non-nuclear components for nuclear weapons and manages nuclear weapons facilities. For details, see these links:
http://www.nukewatch.org/activemap/NWC-KCP.html
http://honeywell.com/sites/aero-kcp/About-Us/Pages/mission-history.aspx
FRACKING
In 2012, Honeywell bought a 70 percent share in Thomas Russell Co, which makes equipment used in fracking. Honeywell said the purchase would enable it to “offer a broad range of key technologies and products that allow shale and conventional gas producers to remove contaminants from natural gas and recover high-value natural gas liquids used for petrochemicals and fuel.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/01/us-usa-manufacturing-deals-idUSBRE8900S320121001 and
CANADIAN TAR SANDS MINING
In June 2014 Honeywell was contracted by Suncor Energy to provide automation at the $13.5 billion Fort Hills tar sands project in Alberta, Canada, apparently as part of Suncor’s effort to cap the number of people it hires at the mine. There is intense competition among companies mining the tar sands, and Suncor’s decision to open Fort Hills has been viewed as risky.
http://www.worldoil.com/Suncor-selects-Honeywell-for-oil-sands-project.html
http://business.financialpost.com/2013/10/31/suncor-energy-fort-hills/?__federated=1&__lsa=1ef2-bbaa
KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE
Given Honeywell’s involvement in servicing oil and gas companies and in Canadian tar sands, it is not surprising that David Cote, Honeywell’s Chair and CEO, is a leading advocate for the Keystone XL pipeline. He chairs the Energy and Environment Committee of the Business Roundtable which in October 2013 sent a letter to President Obama, signed by the heads of 165 corporations, urging Obama to approve the pipeline.
http://businessroundtable.org/issues/energy-environment/keystone-xl-pipeline
ISRAELI WEAPONS
In September 2012, Honeywell signed a $735 million deal to provide
jet engines for 30 M-346 trainers for the Israeli Air Force. The first of the planes was completed in March 2014; they are capable of carrying 6,600 pounds of armament.
Other Honeywell involvement with Israel’s military is outlined here: http://coat.ncf.ca/P4C/66/Honeywell.htm
TPP
In January 2014 David Cote, Honeywell’s Chair and CEO, testified in front of the U.S Senate Finance Committee in support of “fast track” for President Obama’s Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. However, under questioning, he couldn’t answer an important question about whether corporations should have the right attempt to weaken nations’ laws by going before an international tribunal.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/16/david-cote-trans-pacific-partnership_n_4612178.html
“Fast track” died after public outcry and opposition from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The legislation would have effectively denied Congress and state legislatures from any meaningful involvement in drafting the TTP, a trade agreement supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and criticized by a number of environmental, public health and human rights groups and labor unions.
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION
Honeywell has been involved in a number of lawsuits over environmental contamination, many of which are mentioned in this Wiki link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeywell. The report also notes that the EPA has said that Honeywell is linked to more Superfund toxic waste sites than any other corporation.
Perhaps the most expensive environmental clean-up challenge that Honeywell has faced is at Onondaga Lake near Syracuse, NY. There, Honeywell claims, completely remedying the contamination by mercury and other toxins of 170 acres, as demanded by the Onondaga Nation, would cost it an estimated $6.5 billion. Honeywell is pushing an alternative plan that would cost $16 to $20 million and involve covering the contaminated land with dirt.
ALEC
Honeywell is a supporter of ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, an organization funded primarily by corporations and corporate foundations that lobbies state legislatures to approve “model” legislation that benefits corporations. According to Sourcewatch.org, David and Charles Koch, are major funders of ALEC. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/ALEC_Corporations
ALEC became notorious in 2012 because it had been pushing “stand your ground” laws that got attention because of the murder of Trayvon Martin.
Honeywell is a member of ALEC’s Civil Justice Task Force, one of the main goals of which appears to be to limit corporate liability.
Here is a commentary on ALEC by Dana Milbank in the Washington Post:
THE BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE
David Cote, Honeywell’s Chair and CEO, is a member of the executive committee of the Business Roundtable, which advocates for major corporations and has among its goals cutting, if not eliminating, Social Security. One of the cuts proposed by the Roundtable is raising the retirement age to 70.
The linked article provides more detail, including information on Cote, who, the article reports, has retirement assets of $134.5 million that will enable him to get a monthly pension payment of $800,000.
http://www.thenation.com/blog/177251/ceos-massive-retirement-fortunes-push-social-security-cuts
This article shows Cote having the second highest retirement assets of the about 200 members of the Business Roundtable.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/19/social-security-ceos_n_4297606.html
FIX THE DEBT
Fix the Debt is described by Sourcewatch.org as “the latest incarnation of a decades-long effort by former Nixon man turned Wall Street billionaire Pete Peterson to slash earned benefit programs such as Social Security and Medicare under the guise of fixing the nation’s ‘debt problem’.”
David Cote is on the Fix the Debt steering committee, and in 2012 he boasted that he had raised $12 million for Fix the Debt in one week.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324296604578175302586361778
CORPORATE MISCONDUCT
Here is a list of instances of Honeywell corporate misconduct compiled by the Project on Government Oversight (POGO).
http://www.contractormisconduct.org/index.cfm/1,73,221,html?ContractorID=30
The following list, also provided by POGO, brings the larger list up to date.
Additional Honeywell Instances
1) Title of Instance: Quincy, Mass. Energy Savings Contract Dispute
Date / (Significance of Date): 1/15/13 (Date of Settlement Announcement)
Misconduct Type: Poor Contract Performance
Contracting Party: State/Local
Enforcement Agency: State/Local
Court Type: Civil
Amount: $4,000,000
Disposition: Settlement
Synopsis: Honeywell International and Honeywell Building Solutions SES Corporation agreed to pay $4 million to settle allegations that Honeywell violated the Massachusetts law governing energy savings contracts. The commonwealth alleged that Honeywell, on an energy savings contract with the City of Quincy, failed to comply with the law by including revenues derived from water meters and failed to comply with other statutory and contractual obligations.
2) Title of Instance: Federal and State Air Pollution Violations at Hopewell Manufacturing Plant
Date / (Significance of Date): 3/28/13 (Date of Consent Decree)
Misconduct Type: Environment
Contracting Party: None
Enforcement Agency: Multiple Agencies
Court Type: Civil
Amount: $3,000,000
Disposition: Settlement
Synopsis: Honeywell Resins and Chemicals LLC agreed to pay a $3 million civil penalty (split evenly between the Commonwealth of Virginia and the United States) for alleged Clean Air Act violations at its Hopewell, Virginia, plant, and improve the facility’s air pollution control equipment and processes. The Hopewell plant produces ingredients used in nylon and fertilizer. According to Environmental Protection Agency and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, the facility violated Clean Air Act limits on emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx), benzene and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter. The plant also allegedly failed to comply with requirements to upgrade air pollution control equipment, to detect and repair leaks of hazardous air pollutants, and to develop safeguards on benzene waste. As part of the settlement, Honeywell did not admit liability but did certify that it was in compliance with applicable Clean Air Act regulations.
3) Title of Instance: ICM Controls Corp. v. Honeywell International (Patent Infringement)
Date / (Significance of Date): 11/30/12 (Date of Complaint)
Misconduct Type: Intellectual Property
Contracting Party: None
Enforcement Agency: Non-Governmental
Court Type: Civil
Amount: $0
Disposition: Pending
Synopsis: ICM Controls Corp. alleges Honeywell International infringed two patents involving electronic control technology for heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration products and systems.
4) Title of Instance: Queens West Development Corp. et al. v. Honeywell (Warren Chemical Works Cleanup)
Date / (Significance of Date): 1/18/13 (Date of Amended Complaint)
Misconduct Type: Environment
Contracting Party: None
Enforcement Agency: Non-governmental
Court Type: Civil
Amount: Undisclosed
Disposition: Settlement
Synopsis: New York property development companies filed a lawsuit under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) against Honeywell International. The lawsuit sought to recover the $20 million that it will cost to clean up the site of a former roofing and paving materials factory in Long Island City that was allegedly owned by Honeywell predecessor companies from 1855 to 1909. The plaintiffs allege that operations at the factory resulted in the release and disposal of substantial amounts of coal tar, creosote material, and related hazardous substances into the soil and groundwater. The plaintiffs are in the process of remediating the site with plans to build a library, park, and an apartment building. In November 2013, the parties settled the lawsuit pursuant to undisclosed terms.
5) Title of Instance: Export Violation Administrative Debarment
Date / (Significance of Date): 11/27/13 (Date of Announcement)
Misconduct Type: Import/Export
Contracting Party: None
Enforcement Agency: State
Court Type: Administrative
Amount: $0
Disposition: Suspension/Debarment – Employee
Synopsis: The State Department issued an order administratively debarring LeAnne Lesmeister, former compliance officer at Honeywell International, from participating in any activities that are subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) for violations of ITAR and the Arms Export Controls Act (AECA). Honeywell voluntarily disclosed to the Department numerous violations carried out by Lesmeister between 2008 and 2012. Lesmeister used her position to circumvent Honeywell’s export compliance program in the fabrication of various export control documents that she presented as Department of State authorizations. Relying on these falsified authorizations, Honeywell exported defense articles, including technical data, and provided defense services to various foreign persons without State Department approval. The Deputy Assistant Secretary for Defense Trade Controls in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs formally charged Lesmeister with 21 violations of the AECA and ITAR. She will be prevented from participating directly or indirectly in any activities that are subject to ITAR for a period of three years and until an application for reinstatement is submitted and approved by the State Department.
6) Title of Instance: Hydrogen Fluoride Releases at Metropolis, IL Plant
Date / (Significance of Date): 1/8/14 (Date of Penalty Announcement)
Misconduct Type: Environment
Contracting Party: None
Enforcement Agency: State/Local
Court Type: Civil
Amount: $90,000
Disposition: Fine
Synopsis: The state of Illinois ordered Honeywell International to pay a $90,000 civil penalty for three separate releases of hydrogen fluoride at its Metropolis, Illinois plant in 2008, 2010, and 2011.
7) Title of Instance: Roos et al. v. Honeywell International (Anticompetitive Practices in Sale of Circular Thermostats)
Date / (Significance of Date): 2/26/14 (Date of Settlement Announcement)
Misconduct Type: Consumer Affairs
Contracting Party: None
Enforcement Agency: Non-Governmental
Court Type: Civil
Amount: $8,150,000
Disposition: Settlement
Synopsis: A class action lawsuit claimed Honeywell International used deception to obtain the trademark for its circular thermostat, then used its dominant market position to discourage and/or collude with competitors, and overcharge consumers. In February 2014, the lawsuit settled for $8.15 million.
8) Title of Instance: Oklahoma Medical Helicopter Crash Wrongful Death
Date / (Significance of Date): 1/15/13 (Date of Settlement Announcement)
Misconduct Type: Consumer Affairs
Contracting Party: None
Enforcement Agency: Non-Governmental
Court Type: Civil
Amount: $0
Disposition: Pending
Synopsis: The widow and children of helicopter pilot Mark Montgomery filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging that the Eurocopter AS350 B2 helicopter Montgomery was piloting crashed as a result of a defective and negligently designed Honeywell engine.
9) Title of Instance: Hunt Consolidated v. Honeywell (Defective Engines)
Date / (Significance of Date): 4/28/14 (Date of Verdict)
Misconduct Type: Consumer Affairs
Contracting Party: None
Enforcement Agency: Non-Governmental
Court Type: Civil
Amount: $1,400,000
Disposition: Judgment Against Defendant
Synopsis: A Dallas jury found that Honeywell International committed fraud against Hunt Consolidated by not telling the company about certain defects in the Honeywell engines used in two of Hunt’s corporate Learjets. Hunt alleged it discovered during a preflight inspection that all of the blade retainers in the engines had broken off and caused secondary damage to an engine. Hunt argued that information about the defective blade retainers should have been included in a 2008 service bulletin Honeywell sent to customers. The jury awarded Hunt $1.4 million in damages.
10) Title of Instance: Faulty Water Meters in Muskogee, OK
Date / (Significance of Date): 5/27/14 (Date of Settlement Announcement)
Misconduct Type: Poor Contract Performance
Contracting Party: State/Local
Enforcement Agency: State/Local
Court Type: N/A
Amount: $300,000
Disposition: Settlement
Synopsis: Honeywell International paid the city of Muskogee, Oklahoma $300,000 to compensate for revenue the city lost due to faulty water meters Honeywell provided. The settlement agreement also requires Honeywell to perform, free of charge, an energy efficiency feasibility audit of the city’s wastewater treatment plant. An estimated 20 percent of 15,800 electronically monitored water meters malfunctioned, costing the city an estimated $500,000 during the course of about two and a half years.
11) Title of Instance: Berg et al. v. Honeywell (False Claims on Energy Savings Performance Contract)
Date / (Significance of Date): 10/19/07 (Date of Original Complaint)
Misconduct Type: Government Contract Fraud
Contracting Party: Defense - Army
Enforcement Agency: Non-Governmental
Court Type: Civil
Amount: $0
Disposition: Pending
Synopsis: A False Claims Act lawsuit accuses Honeywell International of falsifying energy savings estimates on the U.S. Army’s Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC). The lawsuit alleges that Honeywell doctored energy cost baseline data in order to induce the Army to award task orders under the mistaken belief that the task orders would meet the ESPC’s energy savings requirement.
