Ecuadorian Citizens Protest Texaco's Amazon Oil Pollution
6/22/96
OVERVIEW, SOURCE & COMMENTARY by EE
Rainforest Action Network reports on protests by some 300 Ecuadorian
citizens agains Ecuadorian Amazon oil exploration, particularly by the
Texaco company. This follows recent oil spills and continued large scale
damage to the Amazonian ecosystem caused by such oil exploration. This
item comes from RAN's list server.
g.b.
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
For Immediate Release - June 20, 1996
Press Contact - Mark Westlund: ranmedia@ran.org
Shannon Wright: amazonia@ran.org
ECUADORIAN CITIZENS PROTEST
TEXACO'S AMAZON OIL POLLUTION
(QUITO) Protesting oil pollution of the Ecuadorian Amazon over 300 oil
workers, Amazonian citizens, farmers, students, and environmentalists
marched from the Ecuadorian Congress to the Presidential Palace today. They
demanded that Ecuadorian President Sixto Duran Ballen announce his support
for the Amazonian peoples and that he work to hold Texaco accountable for
its destruction of the Amazon. The protesters marched to pressure their
government to support a class action suit in the U.S. Federal Court against
Texaco's pollution of the Amazon.
Chanting "Who destroyed the Amazon and who should clean it up? Texaco! Sue
Texaco!" the protesters demanded that their government support them rather
than the international oil company.
Marchers from the Ecuadorian jungle arrived with photos of the latest
spill, caused by antiquated equipment left by Texaco and currently owned by
Petroecuador. Local communities calculated that nearly 1,000 barrels of
oil spilled several days ago from the same pipeline which they have
demanded Texaco upgrade.
"This latest spill only underscores the ongoing destruction in the Amazon
and the urgent need for just solutions," said Shannon Wright, Rainforest
Action Network's Amazon program director.
In a precedent setting court case, Amazonian peoples filed a $1.5 billion
class action suit in the U.S. Federal Court, calling for Texaco to clean
the Amazon of their pollution and compensate the Ecuadorian people for its
24 years of devastating operations in Ecuador. This case has gained much
more success than legal observers initially predicted.
Before ruling on the U.S. action suit the judge requested clarification of
the Ecuadorian government's position of the case, which is expected within
the next several days.
Last week, the Ecuadorian Congress unanimously passed a resolution in
support of Amazonian plaintiffs. On June 18, however, the President of the
National Congress suddenly withdrew his support for the resolution, in
effect suspending it. Observers close to the Congress suspect that his
reversal is due to severe pressure from Texaco.
Rainforest Action Network works to protect the Earth's rainforests and
support their inhabitants through education, grassroots organizing, and
non-violent direct action.
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