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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2002

Two companies with close ties to the White House are seeking $900 million in American loans to help fund a drilling development in Peru that could hurt Native tribes, The Washington Post reports.

Hunt Oil Co. and Halliburton Co., formerly run by Vice President Dick Cheney, applied for the loans through the Export-Import Bank of the United States and the Inter-American Development Bank. To qualify, the project must pass an environmental review.

But critics say there is no way to mitigate the impact on the rain forest and indigenous people in an area of southwestern Peru where up to 21 wells, a gas-and-liquid separation plant and other facilities are being built. Previously, Royal Dutch Shell sought to develop the region but withdrew amid problems with tribal leaders, environmentalist and the Peruvian government.

Now, with the involvement of Hunt and Halliburton, Lelis Rivera, director of the Center for Development of Amazon Indigenous Peoples tells The Post: "If we'd only known, we would, one thousand times over, have preferred Shell."

The total project cost includes $1.6 billion to develop the area and $1 billion for a plant to export liquid natural gas to the U.S. by 2006

Get the Story:
Texas Firms Line Up U.S. Aid in Peru (The Washington Post 11/20)