Date: 2024-09-27 Page is: DBtxt003.php txt00005583 | |||||||||
Environment | |||||||||
Burgess COMMENTARY | |||||||||
Chevron scores legal and PR victories in Ecuador pollution case Between 1964 and 1990, Texaco drilled for oil in the Ecuadorian Amazon and left an outrageous mess, dumping 18.5 billion gallons of toxic sludge and wastewater into local waterways. Chevron, which acquired Texaco in 2001, was ordered by an Ecuadorian judge in 2011 to pay $19 billion for the damage. Chevron said, to paraphrase, “Eff you,” and has been fighting the judgment ever since. It’s little wonder, then, that Ecuador’s president is calling for a boycott of Chevron. In launching the “Chevron’s Dirty Hand” campaign last week, President Rafael Correa visited a rainforest area left polluted by the company, plunged his hand into a pool of oil, and held it up for members of the media to photograph.
A nice photo op, but Chevron is still winning the war. Here are the latest legal developments from ABC News:
And the U.S. government appears to be doing its part to help Chevron avoid bad PR. From PressTV:
John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com. |