Those whose ideology leaves them convinced that large corporations despoil the earth find the notion that Chevron (through its predecessor Texaco) despoiled large areas of Ecuador attractive. What does it matter that Texaco was only a minority shareholder in a petroleum development project in fact controlled by the Ecuadorean government? What does it matter that when that Ecuadorean government corporation wished to take over the project in its entirety, it agreed that Texaco would remediate the environmental damage it had done and that the national Ecuadorean petroleum company would remain responsible for the site in the future? What does it matter that that Ecuadorean company then despoiled the area to the enormous detriment of local inhabitants? What does any of this matter, when there is money to be got from a wealthy American corporation that never even set foot in Ecuador? Why, a little false testimony here, a massive bribing of a judge there, and voila!, a $9.5 billion dollar Ecuadorean supreme court award against Chevron results. Read more>>
