Ecuadoran Court Orders Chevron to Pay $17 Billion for Oil Pollution in Amazon

DemocracyNow.org -
The oil giant Chevron has been ordered to pay more than $17 billion in fines and punitive damages in a long-running case over environmental contamination in Ecuador. Amazonian residents sued Texaco, which was then purchased by Chevron, for dumping billions of gallons of toxic oil waste into Ecuador's rain forest since the 1970s. On Monday, an Ecuadorian judge ordered Chevron to pay an $8.6 billion fine and an equal amount in punitive damages. It's the second-largest total assessed for environmental damages behind the $20 billion compensation fund for BP's Gulf Coast oil spill. Chevron has vowed to appeal, but it has also suggested it will not pay up under any circumstance, calling the ruling "illegitimate and unenforceable." The plaintiffs also say they plan to appeal because the damages are too low. Joining us to talk about the case is Andrew Miller with Amazon Watch.

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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• chevron
• ecudor
• indigenous
• court
• amazon watch
• democracy now
• texaco
• amy goodman

[toodance]

FINALLY

[gregjalbert]

A "public apology" is not a good reason for waiving punitive damages of $8.6 billion. Is this just some loophole? It's outrageous. Who is the judge? The oil companies and their customers must clean up the mess worldwide and make full reparations for the communities and environments they've damaged.

[whoareyapauldunn]

chevron is part of the illuminati chess game... fight these fuckers to the death - death is our glory!

[whoareyapauldunn]

if they pyout.. these are evil gangstars

[lachmichweg]

not equaling the money BP gotta pay, but an advance still! thumbs up!

[s2jcsile]

oil companies = pollution, greed, enslavement, crimes against humanity, wars...

It is high time for humans to completely quit using fossil fuels and move to renewables and hydrogen. However these same oil companies do their best to suppress the new technologies but their cause is doomed... information is hard to control. Sustainability will win over the greed and I hope it happens soon!