When: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 from 11:30am-1pm
Where: Chevron’s World Headquarters
6001 Bollinger Canyon Road (off I-680), San Ramon, California
Who: Amazon Watch, Amnesty International and members of San Ramon Valley Cares about Ecuador will be at Chevron’s World Headquarters in San Ramon this Wednesday to raise awareness among Chevron employees and the public about the second phase of the “environmental trial of the century” against the company in the Ecuadorian Amazon for charges of massive environmental contamination 30 times larger than the Exxon Valdez oil spill. We will be offering “taste tests” of water samples taken from areas contaminated by the company to employees on their lunch break, and holding photos of people affected by drinking contaminated water.
Why: From 1964 to 1992, Texaco, now Chevron, dumped over 18 billion gallons of toxic wastewater into the pristine Amazon rainforest in northern Ecuador. Toxic wastewater, drilling muds, and oil were released in unlined waste pits, streams, rivers and wetland areas. The company faces a historic lawsuit in Ecuador for the cleanup of an area the size of the entire San Francisco Bay where the drinking water of more than 30,000 people is contaminated. Currently, Judge Novillo who is presiding over the case is inspecting many of these sites which include areas the company claims it remediated. Recently released lab reports of the first set of inspections show alarming levels of contaminants, including TPHs and HAPs, over the national limit. These chemicals are known to cause cancer and other illnesses to humans and animals. Next week, judicial inspections will take place at the South Sacha Station in the community of “Joya de las Sachas.” This inspection will be the 23rd inspection from a total of 122 that are expected to be conducted before a verdict is reached.
