23 Mar 2006
Clear Impact of Petroecuador Operations is Visible during Judicial Inspection of Lago Agrio Central
A Colono Challenges Plaintiffs' Motives; Petroecuador tanker discharged (300 barrels) of oil residues inside a pit during the Inspection process
Nueva Loja, March 23, 2006- Judicial Inspection No. 39, part of the environmental lawsuit against Chevron, was carried out yesterday at Lago Agrio Central 1 Production Station. This Station has been under Petroecuador's exclusive operations for over 15 years and is part of a large industrial complex where oil pipeline tanks and private companies' facilities are found.
During the inspection, the President of the Court examined the environmental impacts suffered by the station during the last 15 years, long after Texpet ended its operations in the former Consortium. Photographs of recent oil spills along with satellite images taken over the years by the Military Geographic Institute, as well as testimonies given by a colono, provided evidence of the environmental damage caused by Petroecuador's operations in the area.
Chevron's lawyers presented a video which showed Milton Moya, a 15 year local resident, who condemned plaintiffs' attitudes and Petroecuador's operational practices. "I don't know what their interests are behind suing Texaco, I suppose they are economic… and in the meantime, Petroecuador is the one that contaminates the most…, the one that causes most oil spills and nothing is said about this. That company has not been sued."
When the inspection was almost over and to everyone's surprise, a tanker entered the Station and discharged oil residues into a pit located next to the burners. This happened twice again during the official inspection?). Meanwhile, at the other side of the station, a truck dumped oil debris into another pit.
This inspection was requested by Chevron with the purpose of demonstrating that the technology applied by Texaco Petroleum Company (Texpet) to treat and discharge production waters, constituted no risk for human health or the environment. During the three hours Inspection, Dr. Germán Yánez, President of the Superior Court in Nueva Loja, was able to confirm that the system used by Texpet until June 1990, was similar to the one used all over the world at the time, and in compliance with the remediation requirements as established by the Government of Ecuador at the time.
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