Letter to Samuel Allen, Chairman and CEO of Deere & Company - Thanks for SEC Conflict Minerals Transparency Report Filling

Letter

November 19, 2014

Samuel R. Allen
Deere & Company
1 John Deere Place
Moline, IL 61265

Dear Mr. Allen,

I write to acknowledge Deere & Company's filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) detailing the origin of minerals used in your products. The 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protector Act includes a provision that I helped to develop, requiring companies to disclose annually the use of conflict minerals that originated in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) or one of its adjoining countries. It is not often that Congress can make a policy change that has life-or-death consequences for millions of people but that is exactly what this law set out to do by altering the money supply for warlords in the DRC.

Most people do not realize that the long-running conflict in the DRC has claimed almost 5.5 million lives, making it the most deadly since World War II. Women and children have suffered the most. The prevalence of rape and sexual violence as a weapon is beyond belief. Sadly, the source of funding for this conflict is also the DRC's best potential for economic success- its minerals wealth. Reducing the profitability of tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold sourced from warlord-run mines in the DRC has not been easy, but it is yielding real, tangible and positive results. For instance, the number of certified conflict-free smelters has more than tripled in the past year alone.

This progress is being made, in no small part, because of corporate leadership like yours. I was pleased to see Deere and other Illinois companies file meaningful reports disclosing the origins of the minerals you and your supplies use. Information in your filing, such as the significant undertaking to survey your supplies, list of conflict-free smelters and corporate policy, shows that Deere sees this report as more than a "check the box" exercise. Your work is helping to making the DRC a safer environment for men, women and children. According to the Enough Project, armed groups and the Congolese army are no longer present in two thirds of the mines the group surveyed in eastern Congo, a significant step in the right direction. My hope is that SEC filings like yours serve as an example for other companies in the years to come.

Moving forward, I encourage Deere to continue to serve as a leader in this worldwide initiative. The European Union is considering legislation similar to our own, and even China has instituted similar rules. The people of the DRC should not have to suffer unspeakable violence in support of our electronics, cars and wedding rings. I plan to mention your leadership on this matter either on the Senate floor or through the Congressional record, and look forward to continuing to work with you in the future on this worthy goal.

Sincerely,

Richard J. Durbin
U.S. Senator

Source