The world's largest oil disaster just got worse
Ashley Allison, SierraRise Senior Campaigner.
Standing eye to eye with Chevron CEO John Watson, Servio Curipoma fought back tears and bravely declared, "My mother died from your cancer. You killed my mother."
Servio, a cacao farmer from the small oil-ravaged town of San Carlos, Ecuador, traveled thousands of miles to face down the CEO of one of the world's most powerful companies. His goal: Hold Chevron accountable for polluting his once-pristine homeland with toxic
oil waste and killing his parents and his sister.
For three decades, Texaco, now part of Chevron, dumped 18 billion gallons of toxic oil waste into the beautiful Ecuadorian Amazon. Servio's family and thousands like it were left suffering a plague of deadly cancers and devastating birth defects.
Now, despite losing a 20-year legal battle, Chevron continues to deny responsibility for the world's largest oil disaster.
The U.S. Senate has the power to investigate and help stop Chevron's outrageous attacks on those who stand up to corporate greed. But it is up to us to make sure they use that power.
Tell the U.S. Senate's top corporate watchdogs to investigate Chevron's attacks against the very people it poisoned. Let's flood their inboxes with 70,000 comments before Thursday's big press conference!
(More after the jump.)
In an unprecedented move, the oil giant is using a U.S. law intended to rein in mobsters to sue Servio's neighbors and fellow activists and supporters -- branding them as criminals just for speaking out.
The Sierra Club and thirty other organizations have joined forces to call out Chevron for their dirty tactics -- but we need to keep the drumbeat going. These 10 powerful senators have a proven track record of taking on big corporations and winning. If they stand with us, then Chevron's evil tactics can be stopped.
In 1994, when Texaco was done pillaging Ecuador, it left behind a toxic wasteland. More than 900 open and unlined waste pits dot the landscape, overflowing toxic chemicals into the waterways that Servio's family and their neighbors rely on
for cooking and bathing.
Send your message and let's show Chevron it can't put profits over people!
Servio isn't alone. Emergildo Criollo lost his two sons and nursed a wife through uterine cancer. His family drank, bathed, and fished in water he now knows was poisoned with oil. He says, "I lost two children to Texaco's pollution and the company now calls me a criminal for daring to demand justice."
Despite Chevron's attacks, the brave people of Ecuador and their supporters aren't giving up the fight -- but they can't do it alone. Will you stand with them?
In it together,
Ashley Allison
SierraRise Senior Campaigner