Peter S. Goodman

They're making batteries under the hoods of millions of cars that are out there on the road.

They're the ones actually profiting off of this and depending upon the supply in Nigeria.

So I wanted to understand

what sorts of due diligence they were undertaking to ensure that this lead they were buying from Nigeria was in compliance with their social and environmental standard.

So I'd had calls out to East Penn, and they were just blowing me off.

They weren't responding to my calls.

I wasn't getting responses to my emails.

Just no response.

And it became clear to me that I was going to have to figure out how to confront East Penn.

I had to make a spectacle of myself.

That's actually how it happened.

So the big break was in San Antonio, where the Battery Council International has this gathering.

It's this big golf resort, and there are people from battery companies and lead recycling and companies that make equipment used.

And they're all golfing and drinking and dining and having a good time.

And the second I identify what story I'm working on,

They either don't know anything about it, because most people, when I would tell them the story, they'd say, Nigeria?

No way.

We're not buying lead from Nigeria.

That's just not even possible.

How could they even have lead?