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Ecuador: Stop Further Destruction On July 2nd Ecuadorian state oil company Petroamazonas spilled thousands of barrels of crude into the Ecuadorian Amazon. The oil spilled contaminated the Aguarico and Parahuaico rivers where the indigenous Cofan, Secoya, Kichwa and Shuar communities drink, bathe, and fish. These are some of the same communities that continue to suffer from Chevron's toxic legacy of contamination in the Amazon. Petroamazonas has publicly stated that it spilled 2,000 barrels, but a worker with Petroamazonas charged with cleanup confided that the spill was actually an estimated 15,700 barrels – roughly 660,000 gallons of crude – making it one of the largest oil spills that Ecuador has seen in recent years. The crude also reached the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, an area that the Ministry of the Environment is responsible for protecting. Employees from the Ministry visited one of the sites, but three weeks after the spill, Minister Tapia has failed to condemn it. While Petroamazonas has proven that it is unable operate in ecologically fragile and culturally sensitive areas, she has given the company the green light to drill Yasuní-ITT, one of the most biologically diverse and culturally sensitive places on Earth. Tapia has promised that Petroamazonas will drill the Amazon "responsibly," but her ongoing silence speaks more loudly than words. Please send a message to Minister Tapia requesting that she publicly condemn Petroamazonas' contamination and ensure that it fully remediates the area and compensates the affected communities. We also call upon Tapia to prevent further destruction by revoking Petroamazonas' licenses for new drilling in the Amazon. |
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