i thought i would forward this to the list, even though there are
important haiti solidarity events and events going on against torture
in dc this week.
for those of you who don't know, i am an author/editor of the report
"toxic sweatshops" (published 10/06, available at http://www.svtc.org )
and an author of a cover story for prison legal news, " 'to get stuff
and sell it for as much as we can get' : electronics recycling and
federal prison industries" (published 3/07). this work has led to a
federal grand jury investigating prison corruption in one state, an
inspector general investigation of the entire program by the department
of justice, and a lawsuit in another state--all of which were expected
to yield results in 2010.
i have spent the past few days going through the amazing work compiled
by campaigners against chevron/texaco, and thought i would post my
notes here for your reading interest. it's interesting to note that
when the trial hit the courts, the ecuadorian attorneys filed a request
for trial observers with the international council of jurors, due to
death threats, harassment, illegal surveillance, spying, break-ins,
attempted kidnapping, and documents stolen during trial prep, which
they experienced. aaron
i am going through all these websites on texaco/chevron this morning
http://WWW.CHEVRONTOXICO.ORG
http://WWW.TRUECOSTOFCHEVRON.ORG
http://www.GLOBALEXCHANGE.ORG/CAQMPAIGNS/TEXACOCAMPAIGN.HTML
http://WWW.TEXACOTOXICO.ORG
http://www.CHEVRONINECUADOR.COM
CHEVRONTOXICO.ORG
There's a promo video, a trailer for the movie Crude, a book Crude
Reflections, a 60 Minutes episode, and something on Chevron's Attempt
to Corrupt Ecuador Trial.
It's an amazing overwhelming amount of information: if you look just at
the corruption page, there's information on Chevron...
a) paying $30m to settle a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act lawsuit for
kickbacks on contracts;
b) using sex, drugs, and cronyism at a federal office;
c) conspiring with government officials to falsify test results;
d) hiring ex-felons to covertly videotape themselves attempting to
bribe officials in Ecuador to stop an investigation
?"the first time in indigenous people have forced a multinational
corporation to stand trial"?
shockwaves through the world of multinational extractive industries
key documents
a) selected news/multimedia
press kit--1
press releases--11
news stories--19
documents--9
photos--6
audio--4
video--9
b) news stories--160 over # years?
c) press releases--187 over # years?
ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
For over three decades, Chevron chose profit over people. While
drilling in the Ecuadorian Amazon from 1964 to 1990, Texaco--which
merged with Chevron in 2001--deliberately dumped more than 18b gallons
of toxic wastewater/crude oil/haz waste... Texaco chose to use
environmental practices that were obsolete, did not meet industry
standards, and were illegal in Ecuador and the U.S.// cancer
30k Ecuadorians. An independent court-appointed expert said $27b in
damage
A RAINFOREST CHERNOBYL
*oil in the Oriente/ indigenous peoples--> subsistence
*the government trusted Texaco: Texaco made deliberate cost-cutting
operational decisions: oil leaches into the water table; f. waters are
dumped--a practice banned in the U.S.
*1401 deaths
*when Texaco left, Petroecuador inherited Texaco's mess without
capacity to respond
*sham cleanup--> individuals could pursue claims
AFFECTED COMMUNITIES FIGHT FOR JUSTICE
*1993: Frente de Defensa de la Amazonia (Amazon Defense Coalition)
30k indigenous/campesinos
reps from all local indig./camp. groups
*NGOs cooperate with Frente to bring their stories before the public
*the existence of this advocacy network, organized by the affected
people themselves, is an important accomplishment/step towards social
transformation. Effectively, government had no presence there. Resident
self-organization.
*2003: NY judge moves lawsuit to Ecuador.
IMPORTANCE OF CLEAN WATER
*drinking water
*Texaco's doctors did testing--> claim no connection between oil and
cancer
*scientists want a standard of proof that will be impossible to meet
*Chevron attributes illness to poverty/lack of sanitation; a sign-on
letter from 50 scientists says otherwise
TIMELINE
1991: Texaco turns over control of Ecuador to Petroecuador
1993: Texaco ceases involvement in oil in Ecuador; Amazon Defense
Coalition formed
1997: lawsuit filed; Texaco does partial inadequate remediation
1998: Texaco obtains release from government on account of its
remediation
2002: judge in NYC rules case should be heard in Ecuador
2003: Amazon Watch launches Clean Up Ecuador. Court-ordered inspections
show contamination.
2004: U.S. court dismisses it; Texaco merges with Chevron
2006: plaintiffs receive threats
2007: case refilled in Ecuador; judicial inspection
2007: Vanity Fair article/CNN hero, etc.
2008: lead plaintiffs receive Goldman Prize
4/08: court-appointed special master declares $7-$16.3b (Exxon Valdez)*
9/08: revises estimate to $27b**
2009: Chevron acknowledges potential liability in its annual report
4/08 estimate based on...
*contamination (pletroleum/toxic leaching metals)
*no environmental controls
*health/social impacts
*limited remediation in the 90s
*full remediation would include healthcare and potable water
*compensation for ecosystem
*"unjust enrichment" penalty for excess deaths
9/08 estimate based on...
SCIENTIFIC FRAUD BY THE COMPANY'S SCIENTISTS
*selectivity where they sampled; TCLP an inappropriate test; composite
sampling inadequate
LEGAL EFFORTS
hired Trent Lott. Unfavorable quotes.
7/26/08.
Chevron lobbyists (Trent Lott, John Breaux, friend of McCain,
Negroponte) vs.
plaintiff lobbyists (Donzinger--Dem. fundraiser, met with Obama, who
said he was offended; Obama went to Leahy to vet it, wrote letter
saying let it go to court); the Obama letter is the wild card...
CHEVRON's EFFORTS TO KEEP IT OUT OF COURT
legal efforts; political pressure; military ties in Ecuador; dishonest
pr; smears; sham science
AMAZON WATCH
...sought to fund/implement a major environmental clean-up
...compensate local communities for health/environmental impacts
...provde communities with real access to health/water
...maintained public interest
...brought victims to the U.S.
...attended shareholder meetings, enlisted major investors, targeted
board/executives with letterwriting
WWW.TRUECOSTOFCHEVRON.COM
Chevron's "Human Energy" campaign and TCC's "Inhuman Energy" campaign
1. I will ignore the toxic waste pits in my village (Ecuador)
2. I will suffer in silence (Burma)
3. I will look past the toxic sludge (Canada)
4. I will try not to have a miscarriage (Ecuador)
5. I will try to survive while our country is exploited (Iraq
profiteering)
6. I will not breathe when outside (Kazakhstan)
7. I will continue fishing even though the fish are gone. (Nigeria)
8. I will try not to breathe polluted air (Philippines)
9. I will not complain about my asthma (Richmond, CA)
10. I will give my baby contaminated water (Nigeria)
11. I will try not to get cancer.
2008: company's most profitable year
2nd most profitable corporation in the United States
larger than the GDP of 150 countries
report looks at Chevron's operations in 11 states and 10 other countries
company spends only 3% of its budget on "green" alternative energy
graphic map of its global operations, featuring (Chevron's
name/location/CEO/website/profits/reserves and
production/operations/history)
75% of its political donations went to Republicans
rank-and-file employees donated more to Obama
Cali is site of its world HQs, site of half of its domestic production
and 2/6 of its refineries--> donations to both senators, Tauscher,
Pombo, who wielded incredible
committee power until he was voted out
largest corporation in Cali, killed a number of bills
Cali is the only state that doesn't tax companies for pumping oil
Condi was on its Board of Directors
Obama appointed a Chevron board member to be his National Security
Adviser
"a culture of ethical failure" at the Department of Interior's office
of Mine and Mineral Services
13 accused of rigging contracts/profiting/having sex with and accepting
improper gifts from employees
substance abuse and promiscuity
Chevron was 1/4 companies identified by the Inspector General report
and the only one singled out for refusing to cooperate with the
investigation
NSA James L. Jones
US Chamber of Commerce's Institute for 21st Century Energy
1998-2008: spent $.5b lobbying the federal government, two times as
much as the next largest donor, the American Medical Association
ex-NATO, president/CEO of the Chamber, hostile to climate change
legislation
Chevron's lobbying agenda (7); also lobbies through proxies the
American Petroleum Institute, the Chamber, and Global Climate Coalition
a heavy political hitter
William J. Haynes, Bush's "torture lawyer"
Chevron hired him as chief corporate attorney
Colin Powell was among many who signed a letter to the Senate Judiciary
Committee challenging his nomination/ability to serve
former federal judge who advised on how to "exploit phobias"
J. Stephen Griles
former No. 2 at DOI, in prison for Abramoff scandal
problem of DOI staff recycling through Chevron
MONEY AT THE PUMP
Chevron makes money by 1) producing oil/gas and 2) refining
4/3/09 suit against Chevron for price fixing
consolidation in the industry has strengthened Chevron's power
industry-wide, number of refineries/gas stations declining (no new
refineries in a generation; no effectie oversight)
uses its money to buy candidates/draw out proceedings in court/demands
sealed records when it settles with plaintiffs or when they win
Chevron likes to countersue, and Federal Trade Commission is full of
lawyers recycled through oil companies
HYPE ON ALT. ENERGY
Chevron only spends 3% on alt. energy
its business plan: pursue every last drop of oil available on the
planet, using increasingly environmentally destructive methods; coal,
chemicals, tar sands, shale,
hydrocarbons
world's largest producer of geothermal energy: sulfur in Asia
CHEVRON'S CHEMICALS, TECH COMPANIES, BIOFUEL MISINVESTMENTS,
II: U.S.
Alaska, America's coasts, midwest (oil shale), Richmond (2nd largest
refinery in the U.S., challenged expansion), MS (largest facility/7th
largest in nation/still
people in FEMA trailers), NJ and NY
III: AROUND THE WORLD
Angola (2d largest in subsaharan Africa/7th largest in U.S.; war over
three decades led to 1m dead, 4.5m displaced, 450k refugees); first
nations (green jobs); Chad
(one of the largest industrial projects ever in Africa, single largest
in Africa today); Iraq (challenging nationalization); Kazakhstan;
Nigeria (joint venture);
Philippines (largest foreign investment in the country); demand:
relocate with health studies and proper remediation, cleanup, economic
redevelopment, alt. jobs,
affordable housing, environment);
DIVESTMENT RESOLUTIONS AND A TARGET OF AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
DEMANDS
1. Clean Up Your Mess.
2. Clean Up Your Act.
3. Reject Alliances with Brutal Governments and Their Militaries.
4. Pay Your Fair Share.
Invest in/support the needs of the nations.
5. Transparency in All Operations.
6. Be the Best Oil Company Chevro Can Be.
http://www.GLOBALEXCHANGE.ORG/CAQMPAIGNS/TEXACOCAMPAIGN.HTML
handcard
handout card
Chevron
*5th largest corporation in the world/3rd largest in the U.S./largest
in Cali
*$24b in profits and revenues larger than GDP of all but 36 contracts?
*partners with dictatorships in 5 countries?
*environmental/HR abuses in 5 countries/5 states
*bankrolls the dictatorship in Burma
*fights Ecuador
*hired WH as chief counsel
*fights vs. climate legislation, spends less than 3% of its money on
alt. energy, operates coal, and contributes to global warming
WWW.TEXACOTOXICO.ORG
Blogs: Chevron's propagandists; thechevronpit.blogspot.com;
chevroninecuador.com; his PR guy; Al-J video on videotaping scandal;
Crude trailer; write Chevron's board;
GE call to action; Crude Reflections; 60 Minutes; Vanity Fair.
quotes: Kerry Kennedy (RFK Center), PR groups, LAT blasts Chevron for
using state trade policy to interfere; email the CEO.
1/14/09: ADF going to court to fight Chevron's effort to force them
into arbitration. Chevron experienced setbacks before in various courts
at various levels re.
arbitration.
This trial is...
(1) the first time indigenous peoples have forced an American oil
company to accept jurisdiction in Ecuadorian courts;
(2) for what could be the most extensive oil-related contamination on
the planet; in what
(3) could be the largest civil judgment in history
1995: Chevron paid $40m in return for a legal release from Ecuador's
government for future claims. Texaco's so-called remediation cosisted
of dumping dirt into a small
number of waste pits without first cleaning out the toxins.
environmental racism.
purveyors of Chevron's fraud:
Jamie Varela--head of Chevron in Ecuador
Ricardo Reis--VP of Chevron's Latin American division/indicted
Benjamin Ortiz--head of Chevron communications
Alberto Racines--attorney charged with intimidating plaintiffs
Silvia Garrigo--attorney blames Indians' lack of hygiene
Adolfo Callejas--attorney says oil doesn't
Diego Larrea--attorney who delays
Rodrigo Perez Palleres--attorney under indictment
factsheets: laws Chevron broke; chart of sites that failed inspection;
graph showing you can pollute 100 times more in Ecuador
Chevron's top ten lies
1) No harm to the environment;
2) scientific evidence proves no harm;
3) we followed the industry standard;
4) dumping wastewater is no health risk;
5) we remediated;
6) Ecuador is biased;
7) Chevron's rights were violated;
8) soil samples show no contamination;
9) Petroecuador is biased;
10) court appointed expert is biased;
CEO deceit (to investors--concealing liability)
greenwashing
lying about toxins
lying to shareholders
The trial: request for trial observers to the International Council of
Jurors
*Chevron's ties with the Ecuadorian military, in particular Special
Forces Rayo 24
*Defense Ministry publicizes its contract with Chevron
*Chevron's lawyers/execs live on the base
*Chevron will "donate" the villa to the military when the lawsuit is
complete and pays the military while it occupies it
*military officers made threats against plaintiffs' lawyers/leaders
*mi cancelled the first inspection of indigenous land with claims they
were going to be taken hostage; this was to be a hearing with
indigenous speakers
*indigenous protested and forced the mi officer who made the decision
to be sanctioned/arrested/suspended
*mi officer was deposed. he said a texaco functionary and two employees
of its private security company (one of whom was a former military
official) approached
him and said cancel the inspection. he shielded Texaco by approaching
the judge himself, and when pressured by the judge to produce a
document, created a false
document for the judge to justify the suspension.
four people received threats. petitions were filed with the
interamerican court of human rights and the u.n. seeking precautionary
measures and demand for
explanations from the government.
who received threats?
1) the trial attorney
was told "we are cleansing the county." caller said i know where you
work/live/who you visit and what you do.
2) president of the frente (plaintiffs)
office surveilled
3) former president of the frente and legal coordinator
a local police officer told him that MI was monitoring his activities
and calls at home and work, spying on meetings, and one of his former
employees was an
infiltrator. // break-ins and attempted kidnapping.
4) lawyer
phone calls, break-ins, documents stolen while things with cash value
left untouched.
the perps were tied to Chevron, MI and higher; there was a half-hearted
investigation by local officials
-----Original Message-----
From: Roger Downs, Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter
<roger.do...@sierraclub.org>
To: ashuman...@aol.com
Sent: Wed, Jan 13, 2010 8:50 pm
Subject: Rally to Protect NY from Natural Gas Drilling
Having trouble reading our email? View a web version.
Protect New York State from Natural Gas Drilling Dangers on January
25th.
DearAaron,
Join us Monday, January 25th in Albany to as we rally to protect New
York State from natural gas drilling and "hydrofracking" dangers.
Tell Governor Paterson to Ditch New York's Flawed Plan to Drill for
Natural Gas in the Southern Tier &Catskills Regions.When: Monday,
January 25th
- 10:30am to 12 pm - RALLY in West Capitol Park in Albany
- 1:30pm to 3:30 pm - LOBBY Your New York State Legislators
RSVP:
http://www.citizenscampaign.org/fracking-action-day/register.aspGovernor
Paterson has rejected calls from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, the NYC Dept. of Environmental Protection and New Yorkers
statewide to scrap his plan to allow drilling of thousands of new
natural gas wells across New York State.
Drilling companies plan to use a very dangerous technique, called
hydraulic fracturing or "fracking," to extract natural gas trapped in
the rock of the Marcellus and Utica Shale formations. Millions of
gallons of water and toxic chemicals are injected at high pressure into
each well threatening our water, air, and fragile ecosystems. In other
parts of the country natural gas drilling and fracking have poisoned
wells and devastated communities.
Now is the time to make our voices heard by the thousands.
The Sierra Club will join with many other organizations on January 25
to protest the Governor's plans and lobby your NYS legislators.
Register today!
Thank you for all you do to protect our environment.
Roger Downs
Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter
P.S. We have alternatives to natural gas but no alternatives to clean
water. For more information about hydrofracking, visit our website.
Atlantic Chapter | 353 Hamilton St. Albany, NY 12210 | P: (518)
426-9144 | Tell a friend about us
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