ChevronToxico: The Campaign for Justice in Ecuador

Something has really started to bother me lately, especially with the news of this recent oil spill. The United States is putting an amazing amount of pressure on British Petroleum, the company whose oilrig sank and released over 200,000 gallons of oil into the water near our shore. While I am glad that this issue has gotten press, what bothers me is this is only now an issue because it is near our shores.

So many Americans are oblivious to the fact that this is happening in under-developed countries all over the world. Chevron, a major oil company, who merged with Texaco in 2001, has repeatedly chose “profit over people.” According to ChevronToxico , between 1964-1990 Texaco drilled in the Ecuadorian Amazon and purposefully dumped “more than 18 billion gallons of toxic wastewater, spilled roughly 17 million gallons of crude oil, and left hazardous waste in hundreds of open pits dug out of the forest floor.” In order to save money, Texaco continually used environmental practices that were so poor; they were illegal in both the United States and Ecuador.

The results of their practices have resulted in one of the worst environmental disasters in the world. The toxic material contaminated their soil, streams, and groundwater resulting in major increase of stomach, mouth, and uterine cancer, as well as birth defects and miscarriages. Chevron never cleaned up Texaco’s mess and they also continue to poison the rainforest.

Today, over 30,000 people are taking Chevron to court in order to ordain justice. Some say that Chevron and Texaco is responsible for $27 million dollars. This lawsuit has been documented in the movie Crude, whose trailer is below.

For more information to see what you can go to help please visit http://chevrontoxico.com/.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmpFrtXVHOc&feature=player_embedded

-SS