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Monday, December 1, 2003

Thousands of Indians in eastern Ecuador are part of class action lawsuit alleging environmental and health problems as a result of oil drilling in their traditional territory.

The plaintiffs allege Texaco, now part of ChevronTexaco, dumped 19 billion gallons of waste and spilled 16.8 million gallons of crude oil from 1972 to 1992. They say the company's operation has brought health problems, damaged hunting grounds and destroyed their lands.

A trial in Ecuador started earlier this year. The Los Angeles Times reviewed documents that are part of the court case and found that Texaco dumped waste water directly into streams and the jungle instead of using methods common in the U.S. in the 1970s and 1980s. The Ecuador government was a minority partner in the venture, but did little to address environmental and health concerns, the paper's review found.

ChevronTexaco officials deny the impact. They completed a $40 million cleanup in 1998. "The bottom line is that when we ceased to be the operator, there was minimal impact," Ricardo Veiga, ChevronTexaco's vice president for Latin American Products, told The Times.

Get the Story:
The Hunt for Black Gold Leaves a Stain in Ecuador (The Los Angeles Times 11/30)
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Related Stories:
Ecuador's Indians challenge U.S. oil company (10/23)
Ecuador's Indians affected by oil drilling (05/22)
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Court considers Ecuador case (03/12)
Appeal of Indian oil lawsuit planned (6/1)
Tribal lawsuit against Texaco dismissed (5/31)

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