Chevron faces an $18 billion fine—and a letter from the Ecuadorian people
Chevron faces a huge fine for the “pollution of the Ecuadorian rain forests”. A letter from Ecuadorian activists demanding justice will be handed to Chevron chiefs ahead of their shareholders meeting today.
A delegation of Ecuadorians and supporters will hand a letter to Chevron chiefs and shareholders at the company’s annual shareholder meeting today. The letter represents indigenous and farmer communities of the Ecuadorian Amazon.
It comes following a lawsuit which found Chevron guilty of continuous contamination of the Ecuadorian rain forest and irreparable damage to indigenous communities. Chevron has appealed the verdict.
The letter says: "We write this letter to you on behalf of the thousands of affected peoples in Ecuador, so that you can do something, now, and demand that Chevron clean up the poison that it left in our Amazon, and restore the image of the United States and its citizens."
Karen Hinton, a lawyer representing the Ecuadorians suing Chevron relayed the accusation. She said: “Chevron left behind massive contamination that continues to pollute the rainforest today and, as the sole operator of the oil sites from 1964 until 1990, is liable for damage cleanup and compensation.”
Texaco operated an oil development in Ecuador from 1972 to 1993. It was bought by Chevron in 2000, inherited accusations against Texaco.
A ruling last February found Chevron liable and the company was sentenced to pay $8.5 billion in damages and a further $8.6 billion in punitive damages.
The letter that will be delivered today is not only addressed to the Chevron chiefs but to the citizens of the United States. It says: “We do not know you. We only know the company Texaco, now called Chevron, and we know that it is from your country.”
In response to the allegation Chevron has launched a legal case against the Ecuadorians. Chevron claims that the Ecuadorian case is an attempt to divert attention away from “intentional dumping of 18 billion gallons of oil and toxic water into the rainforest, and tampering with evidence relating to the case.”
The company said: "Chevron has appealed because the judgment was procured by fraud and because the Ecuadorian judicial system failed to afford an impartial tribunal and due process.”
The Ecuadorian disagree, they said: “Chevron has said that it will never respect the court’s decision, that it will never take responsibility for the damage done, and that it will keep fighting until Hell freezes over.”
The letter is accompanied by a worldwide petition calling for justice and reparations.
It ends: “We write this letter to you on behalf of the thousands of affected peoples in Ecuador, so that you can do something, now. You should demand that Chevron clean up the poison that it left in our Amazon, and restore the image of the United States and its citizens.”
Image: ggallice | Flickr
