A Major Victory For The Environment – Time To Act

Join John Perkins for “Shapeshifting into Leadership” and “Advanced Shapeshifting,” Aug 24-26 and 26-31. www.eomega.orgAs I am sure many of you are aware, between 1972 and 1992 Texaco, now owned by Chevron, deliberately dumped more the 18 billion gallons of toxic oil waste into rivers and unlined pits in the northern AmazonbasinofEcuador. The sludge contains lethal concentrations of some of the most dangerous chemicals known to man. By comparison the Exxon Valdiz spilled 11 million gallons and BP in the Gulf spilled between 11 and 40  million gallons (depending on who you believe).The indigenous people of this region are living on some of the most polluted land on the planet and access to clean water is becoming an increasingly significant problem for them. The toxic waste has seeped into the soil and is killing crops, plants, and animals, as well as people. Both of these factors have lead to high rates of death from cancer and birth defects.On February 15, 2011, a court inEcuadorfound Chevron guilty and fined the company $8.6 billion plus clean-up charges that left the oil giant with more than $18 billion in liabilities. On June 12, 2012 the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals dealt another setback to Chevron, reversing a lower court decision that allowed the oil giant access to documents from a consulting group for the Amazon rainforest communities that sued the company. Nevertheless, Chevron – which earned nearly $27 billion in 2011 profits –  has stated that it does not intend to pay, and has no assets inEcuadorfor the government to seize.Environmental and human rights organizations around the world are leading the fight to make Chevron-Texaco pay for this horrible crime and to clean up their pollution. Now is the time for all of us to get on the band wagon. You and I – we the consumers – must pressure Chevron-Texaco to remedy the problem they have created. Send emails, letters. Do NOT go to Chevron or Texaco stations and let the owners know why you are boycotting them!