Hi there! Welcome to my blog!
This blog is going to discuss the plight of the Ecuador people due to the oil spills in their water systems and all over their land. The people of Ecuador are in a lawsuit against the oil company Chevron, which acquired Texaco- the oil company that had been drilling for oil in that area for many years.
I came to know about this issue when I saw a trailer for the documentary Crude. I felt extremely moved and equally disgusted. When I saw the part of the trailer where they interviewed executives from Chevron it made me so angry that they were so cold and unkind about the damage they had done, not only to the people but also to the Amazon Rain forest and the animals.
Texaco was in partnership with Ecuador’s national oil company, Petroecuador, and in 1967 Texaco struck oil in the Sucimbios province in the northeast corner of Ecuador. There was so much oil there that from 1972 to 1992 the oil fields produced more than 1.7 billion barrels of oil, mostly exported to the US. But now most of the oil field is dried up and all that is left is the unfathomable pollution.
Chevron, who bought Texaco in 2001, is accused of dumping over 17 billion gallons of toxic “produced water” into the Amazon waterways from 1964 to 1990, which it was then the exclusive operator in the rainforest. But that is not all they are accused of being responsible for hundreds of oil spills, creating 916 unlined toxic waste pits filling them with toxic sludge that has seeped into the groundwater and soil for decades. The Amazon residents rely on this groundwater as their drinking water. What is worse is that to this day it is still contaminating and polluting the environment because the system designed by Texaco has not been rectified. I think it’s important to note that in 1992 Texaco turned over its entire operation to Petroecuador.
The effects of this crime against the Amazon rainforest have been disastrous for the people directly affected by the total disregard for the environment. Maruja Garrido , a 35 year old woman suffering from third stage colon cancer. Her story is like many other families suffering from cancer. Maruja’s fathers farm had several waste pits on it and they lived next to a stream which was contaminated unbenoence to them, she collected drinking water from the stream pushing aside the oil film on top. She also washed the laundry there and ate fish caught in the oily stream. What I find astounding is that Texaco sprayed crude oil onto the dirt roads to control the dust. Ecuador being a poor country, many people not owning a pair of shoes, let alone be able to pay for treatment for cancer, walked along these roads then cleaned their feet with diesel.
Because Chevron-Texaco failed to employ environmental protection technology they thereby contributed to the contamination of the environment and therefore the people of Ecuador are suffering from high rates of deformities and cancers. A Texaco lawyer says, “If there is somebody with cancer there, they have to prove it was caused by crude or by petroleum industry and second they have to prove that it is OUR crude - which is absolutely impossible." He makes a good point how can you prove that? But it is still undeniable the suffering of these people due to the lack of respect for the environment and the basic drive for money.
A group of U.S. trial lawyers bought forward a law-suit on behalf of thousands of Ecuadorian people against Chevron accusing them of being responsible for dumping billions of gallons of toxic oil waste into the area’s water systems. Chevron have been strongly contesting these charges but in early 2008 Chevron was recommended, by a court appointed expert, to be required to pay between 8 and 16 billions to clean up the rain forest. This is not the final verdict but Chevron was forced to reveal the issue for the first time to its shareholders. Chevron has tried to turn this around and has tried to say that they have been victimized by a corrupt Ecuadorian legal system. I personally don’t see how. Anyone with half a brain can see that they are responsible; I mean if you don’t put the proper infrastructure in place then of course all the toxic oil wastes are going to leak into the rivers and streams. Therefore the people in that area are going to being directly affected! These people are just ducking their responsibility to the environment and the people. To me its just greed and its disgusting. The law suit is still working its way the courts but what is interesting to note is that when it was first filed it went through the U.S. courts but now has been moved to Ecuador, which could prove difficult on both sides as there is the possibility that judges could be paid off.
What has happened to these people is astounding, an absolute travesty to the environment. Everyone is suffering the people the land and the animals all because of trying to make a buck and not following through with correct procedure to maintain the Amazon rainforest and its inhabitants.
