oil and the law 523
The case against Texaco
When Texaco came to drill for oil in Ecuador, the Cofan people there had no idea
the US oil company would destroy their lives. For over 20 years the company
dumped millions of liters of oil and toxic waste water into the environment.
Rivers that had supported the Cofan for generations became useless as
sources of food. People spent many hours each day searching for drinkable water
and hunting for animals. Many people fled the area due to the destruction.
The Cofan leaders say that Texaco destroyed their traditional way of life and
caused illness for thousands of people. The Cofan population shrunk from 15,000
people to only about 500.
The victims of Texaco’s
contamination formed the
Front for the Defense of the
Amazon. They organized
medical care for those
suffering from serious
illnesses. They helped to
organize studies of the
health effects of Texaco’s
oil operations. They talked
to environmental activists
from the capital city of Quito
and to lawyers in the United
States. Together they came
up with a plan. The leaders and
activists traveled by foot, canoe, and
plane to New York City to file a billion dollar lawsuit against Texaco.
Texaco tried to have the case dismissed. The company claimed the case
should be tried in an Ecuadoran court because the pollution happened in that
country. The activists worried that it would be hard to get justice in Ecuador.
They explained to the judge that the decisions to pollute the Amazon had been
made in the United States. The judge agreed to listen to them. This was the first
time an international case had been accepted in an American court! The Cofan
leaders were overjoyed.
For 10 years Texaco fought to dismiss the case. A new judge decided that the
case should be tried in Ecuador, but if a just outcome was not given, the case
could be retried in New York. The lawsuit is still not over. The people continue to
suffer health problems as oil is pumped out of the rainforest. Their persistence
in seeking justice from the Texaco Corporation has taught many people about
the damage done by oil, and has forced Texaco and other oil companies to use
safer methods of drilling for oil.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012