Courting Disaster: Chevron Brought Before Law in Ecuador Wastewater Dispute
LAGO AGRIO, Ecuador — The headwaters of the Amazon are polluted and those who live with the toxic water blame the Chevron Corporation for their suffering. Representing more than 125,000 people in the area formerly used by Chevron’s Texaco to drill oil, a class-action lawsuit has finally made its way to the Ecuadorian courts. The lawsuit blames Texaco for trying to save money by underreporting oil spills and dumping wastewater into ground pits.
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Source: The Detroit Free Press
To get a good look at the contamination, go to this blog: http://thechevronpit.blogspot.com
Also, Congress is starting to pay attention to this issue as well. Congressman Howard Berman and Jim McGovern have asked Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to explain why State’s human rights reports don’t discuss the environmental and human rights abuses in Ecuador surrounding the oil contamination. They said the State Department reports are “laughably short” on details about the oil contamination. And, remember, that Rice was once on Chevron’s Board of Directors. See this press release: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/amazon-defense-coalition-state-department,662033.shtml
Here is an amazing account of the toxic mess that Texaco and Chevron have created in the Amazon rainforest. This is a Bloomberg article that appeared today. You will want to read this. Here’s the link: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&refer=&sid=aymV5i.4yp.E