Article
Ecuador president rails against Chevron for alleged environmental damage
...President Rafael Correa railed against U.S. oil giant Chevron...for allegedly dumping billions of gallons (liters) of toxic wastewater in Ecuador's Amazon jungle...Correa said that damage to the site, once an oil pit operated by Texaco [part of Chevron]...has prevented farmers such as 76-year-old Manuel Salinas from cultivating his land. Salinas also told the president that he and his family suffer from stomach and skin ailments...An ongoing lawsuit...alleges that Texaco dumped more than 18 billion gallons (68 billion liters) of oily wastewater...Chevron has denied the allegations, saying Texaco followed Ecuadorean environmental laws and spent US$40 million (€29 million) on a cleanup...The Ecuadorean government certified the cleanup in 1998 — a move Correa called a "fraud for the country."...Chevron also expressed concern...that political pressure might threaten its "access to an impartial trial."