"The construction and operation of energy infrastructure in North America requires respect for rigorous standards of environmental review and the human rights of Indigenous Peoples," the resolution says.
They cite the United Nations’ Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a measure of the expectations for considering the rights of indigenous people to "free, prior and informed consent prior to the approval of any projects affecting their traditional territory."
So, they are asking Marathon to prepare a report that describes the review process used to identify and address environmental and social risks in reviewing potential acquisitions.
Human Rights Risks Are Investment Risks The resolution by Marathon shareholders is one of more than two dozen resolutions on environmental matters filed with oil and gas companies.
Marathon shareholders filed a similar resolution last year that met resistance from the company but still earned approval by 35 percent of the company’s stockholders who voted.
Although the office declined to discuss the resolution in detail, Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said a year ago that investors had a right to know how Marathon considered the rights of indigenous peoples.
"Risks to the environment and to human rights create risks for our pension fund’s investments and should be addressed as part of a sustainable business plan."
Why Marathon Says It Opposed the Resolution The company, in its proxy statement last year, said it "respects the human, cultural and legal rights of individuals and communities" but still urged shareholders to reject the resolution.
Preparing the kind of reports sought through the resolution would require a highly customized study of projects under consideration, the company’s 2017 proxy statement said.
The Dakota Access pipeline is part of Marathon’s 8,300 mile pipeline system.

The New York State Comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, is helping direct stockholders’ resolutions to fight climate change using tools built by a nonprofit organization.
They track sustainable resolutions and provide resources about sustainable supply chains to shareholders who may be interested.
“More and more companies recognize that by taking steps to buy palm oil or soy from suppliers that do not contribute to deforestation, they are promoting better environmental practices and protecting their shareholder value.” This year, shareholder resolutions have become the new behind-the-scenes advocacy movement, with DiNapoli leading the charge.
He started with oil companies: 62 percent of Exxon shareholders voted to demand disclosure of risks to the climate.
Inside Climate News reports, The number of climate-related resolutions filed with food and beverage companies is up from 12 in 2011 to 131 this year.
The group released a guide last week for food company investors that illustrates the climate-related risks that each of eight commodities represents to supply chains and businesses.
The guide also looks at issues beyond but related to climate change, including water use and pollution, as well as social impacts, including land rights and working conditions.
“The risks are mounting—whether it’s climate change or water scarcity or human rights abuses—and investors need a one-stop shop.” Financial firms such as BlackRock, Vanguard, and Fidelity have put climate disclosure language in their mix of investments.
Food industry votes have not yet achieved the success that shareholders in the giant oil companies have had, but it is only the beginning.
A 2015 survey by CDP, formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project, found that 90 percent of 97 food, beverage and tobacco companies—representing 822 institutional investors and more than a third of the world’s invested capital—said their businesses were vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

The New York State Comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, is helping direct stockholders’ resolutions to fight climate change using tools built by a nonprofit organization.
They track sustainable resolutions and provide resources about sustainable supply chains to shareholders who may be interested.
“More and more companies recognize that by taking steps to buy palm oil or soy from suppliers that do not contribute to deforestation, they are promoting better environmental practices and protecting their shareholder value.” This year, shareholder resolutions have become the new behind-the-scenes advocacy movement, with DiNapoli leading the charge.
He started with oil companies: 62 percent of Exxon shareholders voted to demand disclosure of risks to the climate.
Inside Climate News reports, The number of climate-related resolutions filed with food and beverage companies is up from 12 in 2011 to 131 this year.
The group released a guide last week for food company investors that illustrates the climate-related risks that each of eight commodities represents to supply chains and businesses.
The guide also looks at issues beyond but related to climate change, including water use and pollution, as well as social impacts, including land rights and working conditions.
“The risks are mounting—whether it’s climate change or water scarcity or human rights abuses—and investors need a one-stop shop.” Financial firms such as BlackRock, Vanguard, and Fidelity have put climate disclosure language in their mix of investments.
Food industry votes have not yet achieved the success that shareholders in the giant oil companies have had, but it is only the beginning.
A 2015 survey by CDP, formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project, found that 90 percent of 97 food, beverage and tobacco companies—representing 822 institutional investors and more than a third of the world’s invested capital—said their businesses were vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

From Beef to Palm Oil, Investors Worry about Climate Risk in the Food Industry.
DiNapoli led a push by investors in May to force Exxon to better explain the impacts of climate change on its business.
Shareholder resolutions like these are rising in both number and variety, according to research from the sustainability advocacy group Ceres, which has tracked shareholder resolutions within the top publicly traded U.S. food companies in recent years.
The number of climate-related resolutions filed with food and beverage companies is up from 12 in 2011 to 131 this year.
Of those, most were focused on deforestation linked to supply chains—from the production of palm oil, beef and soy—as well as climate change and animal welfare.
The group released a guide last week for food company investors that illustrates the climate-related risks that each of eight commodities represents to supply chains and businesses.
Shareholder resolutions on the rise The upward trend comes as climate-related shareholder resolutions are gaining traction among corporations in the oil and gas industry and beyond.
But, the group points out, oil and gas proposals were getting similar numbers until recently.
"But investors now are starting to use their power and voice to try and impact these other commodities through the supply chain."
"Investors are very concerned with food companies and the impact of agriculture," Pearce said.

DiNapoli: State must maintain water quality vigilance.
Alarm bells sounded in Hoosick Falls when its water supply showed up dangerous levels of Perfluorooctanoic acid, a water and oil repellent, used since the 1940s in products including non-stick cookware, stain-resistant carpeting and microwave popcorn bags.
Now, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli says the state must raise the level of oversight on hundreds of New York water systems to safeguard public health.
Based on the Comptroller’s review of water system reports, nearly 90 percent of the state’s 192 public water systems detected contaminants equaling or exceeding limits.
"How do we protect drinking water supplies so we don’t have any of these chemicals?"
Additionally, the report said, it is incumbent on the state health department to maintain a up-to-date database on contaminants that could pose water system hazards, along with detailing their maximum allowable levels.
In the wake of the Newburgh and Hoosick Falls incidents and the fallout from serious lead contamination in Flint, Michigan, $2.5 billion was allocated in this year’s state budget for water infrastructure projects, including $120 million for remediation of contaminated supplies; at least $20 million for the replacement of lead drinking water service lines; and up to $10 million for information technology systems related to water supplies.
By DiNapoli’s estimate more than $5 billion has been spent by the state and federal government on local water systems over the past 20 years.
Among the recommendations from the Comptroller’s Office: •Create a statewide response plan, with public input, to effectively address drinking water contamination incidents.
"Water contamination incidents in the Village of Hoosick Falls and the City of Newburgh illustrate the vulnerabilities of the current regulatory structure," the comptroller’s office said in its report.