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Chevron Illegally Dumps Billions of Gallons of Toxic Waste Into Amazon

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We are all upset about the BP Oil Spill, but isn’t this the same? Chevron dumped billions of gallons of toxic waste into the Amazon?

Court Filing: Chevron’s Own Audits Prove Company Lied About Massive Pollution In Ecuador: Evidence Of Chevron’s “Stunning Hypocrisy” And Lies To U.S. Federal Courts

A U.S. Federal Court has been presented with two separate audits conducted at Chevron’s request that show “clear and convincing evidence” that the oil giant knowingly dumped billions of gallons of toxic waste directly into the Amazon and subsequently lied to cover it up, according to a legal brief by the 30,000 Ecuadorian rainforest residents suing the company for the illegal dumping.

The two separate audits, commissioned by Chevron’s predecessor company Texaco as it was wrapping up operations in Ecuador from 1990-92, found that the oil contamination “require[d] remediation at all production facilities.” The audits also demonstrate deliberate contamination by Texaco, noting that the company failed to protect surface water quality and intentionally dumped untreated toxic waste directly into the streams and rivers of the jungle.

The findings of the audits – presented for the first time in a U.S. federal court as part of a battle over various discovery requests related to the Ecuador litigation – stand in stark contrast to Chevron´s numerous sworn statements that there is “no evidence that Chevron is responsible for any environmental damage” in Ecuador, made in multiple filings in recent weeks in several different federal courts.

Chevron’s public denials of damage to the region given the extraordinary findings in its audits are “shocking and cynical,” according to Ilann Maazel, an attorney for the Amazon residents. “These audits definitively prove that Chevron is guilty of contaminating Ecuador´s rainforest and that the company is now shamelessly lying about that undisputed fact to U.S courts,” he said.

“It is incredible that Chevron lawyers have stated in US courts that there is no damage in the region even while their own audits unequivocally state the exact opposite,” said Maazel. “Chevron has consistently and intentionally made such false statements to federal judges in a cynical attempt to hide the extent of the contamination caused by its operations.”

Some of the shocking findings of the audits, which were conducted by two Chevron sub-contractors and paid for by the company, are:

• “All twenty-two production stations are currently, or have at some time, discharged oily produced water to the environment and flared excess gas. The stations have produced a total of approximately 1.4 billion barrels of oil, 250 million cubic feet of gas and 375 million barrels of produced water during the period 1964 to 1990.”
• “The audit identified hydrocarbon contamination requiring remediation at all production facilities and a majority of the drill sites.”
• “Produced water (which contains carcinogens and toxic heavy metals) is being discharged to the environment in all cases.”
• “Produced waste is then passed through a series of open, unlined pits. The remaining oil emulsion and produced water is discharged into a local creek or river or in some instances directly into the jungle…Produced water has historically not been tested prior to disposal…”
• “Contamination of soil and water was observed at well sites, production stations and along roadways, flowlines and secondary pipelines.”
• “Workover, completion wastes, salt solutions and oil/water emulsions have historically been disposed of into well site pits. … Little maintenance has reportedly been done on any of the pits at the well sites.”
• “[Texaco’s] operation included the intentional burning of crude oil from spills and contained in pits. This operation usually created large amounts of black smoke and soot that can potentially impair the environment and human health.”

Both audits were relied upon by a court-ordered damages assessment report that found Chevron could be responsible for up to $27.3 billion in environmental damages and remediation costs. Chevron’s lawyers have called the report “scientifically bankrupt” but thus far have refused to comment on their own audits, which were conducted in the early 1990s as the company was winding down its operations in Ecuador.

The audits were conducted by HBT Agra and Fugro McClelland, two Chevron sub-contractors. They are part of the evidence in the Ecuador trial. Chevron, through its predecessor company Texaco, operated in Ecuador from 1964-1990. The lawsuit, originally filed by 30,000 Ecuadorians in New York in 1993, was transferred to Ecuador at Chevron’s request. Since the trial began in Ecuador, more than 64,000 scientific sampling results and a 200,000-page trial record, has created a mountain of evidence demonstrating Chevron’s responsibility for the environmental devastation in the region, said Maazel.

Source Indigenous People Issues

The audits can be downloaded here and here (.pdf)

BP Oil Spill- Effects on Dolphins and Whales

If you haven’t reduced your driving, still using plastic bags and bottled water, take a look at this video that shows the extent of the BP Oil Spill with pictures of dead dolphins and whales struggling to breathe.

Garbage Recycling In Dharavi, India Needs Respect

Recycle, Reuse, and Respect

We Americans are spoiled. We have unemployed people and bail them out and give them money. In India unemployed people earn a living by recycling trash saving the cities from becoming a toxic waste dump.  In Dharavi,  unemployed workers, mainly children sift through and collect 8.5 million metric tons of garbage and trash everyday for recycling and repurposing.

In America, what parent would allow their child to sift through garbage? Americans would rather have a handout than pick up trash for recycling. In America trash-pickers, dumpster divers and homeless are often looked at with fear and loathing. Personally dumpster divers and homeless do a favor for some, they recycle products that most people carelessly throw away.

In India, The Acorn Foundation India Trust aims to organise ragpickers and train them in scientific methods of waste handling, segregation and recycling, bringing a measure of respect to their work. If it wasn’t for the ragpickers Dharavi’s would be one giant toxic waste dump.

Now there’s an initiative afoot to bestow a fourth R on the ragpicker brigade—respect. The Acorn Foundation India Trust is set to organise these workers and train them in scientific methods of waste handling, segregation and recycling. “We want to highlight their work in protection of the environment,” says Vinod Shetty of the Acorn Foundation. “We want the government to set up a board whereby polluters pay a cess of about one per cent which can go towards giving these ragpickers a proper income with safe equipment like gloves and other amenities. We want them to be trained in how to handle toxic waste and expertise in recycling goods in a non-hazardous way.”

For a start, all members of the Dharavi Project are being given identity cards. They have formed their own committee which is involved in waste awareness programmes. In one programme, young ragpickers are partnering with schools in waste management. Currently there are some 350 members of the Dharavi Project.

The foundation has also undertaken another initiative— to organise health clinics, programmes and workshops from which young children engaged in ragpicking can get some kind of informal education in music, photography and other arts. A number of artistes have participated in such programmes, among them singers Shankar Mahadevan, Sunita Rao and Apache Indian and Katrina Kaif. “Nearly 40 per cent of those in the waste business are children and women,” says Shetty. “We do not want to support child labour but realise that this sector needs alternatives. We hope such cultural events will help them think differently.”Now there’s an initiative afoot to bestow a fourth R on the ragpicker brigade—respect. The Acorn Foundation India Trust is set to organise these workers and train them in scientific methods of waste handling, segregation and recycling. “We want to highlight their work in protection of the environment,” says Vinod Shetty of the Acorn Foundation. “We want the government to set up a board whereby polluters pay a cess of about one per cent which can go towards giving these ragpickers a proper income with safe equipment like gloves and other amenities. We want them to be trained in how to handle toxic waste and expertise in recycling goods in a non-hazardous way.”

For a start, all members of the Dharavi Project are being given identity cards. They have formed their own committee which is involved in waste awareness programmes. In one programme, young ragpickers are partnering with schools in waste management. Currently there are some 350 members of the Dharavi Project.

Read more at India Together

Costa Rica Eco-Tourism

Hands Across The Sand-Cardiff, CA June 26th, 2010

Over 130 people showed up at Cardiff By The Sea Beach for the Hands Across the Sand Event to protest off shore drilling. People from all over and all walks of life came to protect our beaches and marine life.

Litter & Trash Costs Business $11.5 Billion A Year

Deliberate Littering

I hate litter and have blogged on it many times. The thing I hate the most is the total lack of consideration or just plain laziness of people who litter because 85% of litter is deliberate, meaning it is preventable and the main reason why we have litter is because litterers don’t care about the environment. So even if they don’t care about the environment they should care about their taxpaying wallets and rising cost of goods.

Enough of my rant- Steve Spacek at American Litter Scorecard sent me this great article in the Boston Globe on Litter on the high cost of litter to business. So those who litter and don’t care about the environment or care where their taxpayer dollar are going cannot complain about rising costs of goods and services because the consumer (them)  pays for litter cleanup to the tune of $11.5 billion dollars per year broken down (do the math) it cost the consumer over $378 per year in goods and services/ per person in USA, not just taxpayers, coupled with other litter taxes- it starts to add up.

Here is an except of the Article:Lets Not Trash Our Roadways

That is no cause to relax. Plastic roadside trash has grown nationally 165 percent over the four decades. America has 300 million people now, as compared to 200 million in 1969. Today’s litter still costs businesses and government $11.5 billion a year to clean up. The whole nation is riveted by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, with much debate as to how to punish BP, how much to blame President Obama, and our addiction to oil. Yet we Americans, bottle by bottle, bag by bag, butt by butt, cost ourselves the equivalent of a half-year’s worth of BP profits. Read the full article here

Oil Primer x Oil Greed x Oil Spills

Photo: www.good.is

Artist Standford Kay, produces the best inform-graphics that I have ever seen. He just did this information graphic/illustration on Oil, which shows how much the USA is dependent on oil. It makes me sick to think about it.  It makes me sick because the oil companies do not care. It makes me angry, that this will blow over and the good old boys with deep pockets will be spending money with our corrupt politicians. It makes me sad that millions of people from fisherman and tourist  industries will have their lives and livelihood destroyed for years to come. It makes me pissed off that us, the taxpayer will be paying for this, you think the oil companies will pay for this?? Never in a million years, they don’t pay for anything, except cash donations and gifts to politicians. It makes me disappointed in my friends and family who continue to use plastic bags, continue to buy bottled water and just have apathy about our environment.

Do you know:

• Exxon Valdez Clean up cost was $2.5 Billion US and have been estimated to be as much as $7 Billion, you the taxpayer paid $121 Million.
• The taxpayer paid $89 Million for the oil spill in 1994 off the cost of Puerto Rico,
• The cost of  oil spill clean up in the Gulf of Mexico is approaching $1 Billion US . To date and ITS NOT OVER, the oil spill cleanup has cost Federal Taxpayer $87 Million.  That is $355 per person in the United States based upon a population of 308 Million. (only 138 Million taxpayers although)

Photo: www.care2.com

Least you forget this is not the only oil spill in the world, Right now besides DeepWater in the USA and the Gulf of Mexico,

• Another oil spill in Singapore. The MT Bunga has spilled over 2,000 tons of oil. In April of 2010,
• The Great Barrier Reef 3 tons of oil were spilled and again in Port Arthur (Texas) January of 2010, 1500 tons of oil were spilled

But it all starts with you the consumer- you can stop oil drilling in many ways besides sending a message to Obama and voting no. Every person and every little step helps to reduce our dependence on oil.

• 71% of our oil is used in transportation. If everyone just started to walk to work, car-pooled, use mass transportation or bicycled that percentage would go way down and we would not have to spend millions of dollars in oil cleanups and building oil rigs.
• If everyone stopped using plastic bags and refused plastic bags at more places than the grocery store, we would be less dependant on oil.
• Stop buying bottled water and other drinks in plastic container.

No matter where you live, this oil spill will effect you. From the fish you eat to the water you play in will have oil and be toxic.

• Your taxes will go up- because believe me you the taxpayer will be paying for this for years to come.
• The cost of gasoline will go up- BP has shareholder to report to and they have to raise prices.
• Food will go up
• Medical insurance will go up and the taxpayer will pay for that as well.
• Your politicians will be more susceptible to monies given out by oil companies (Greed)  as they try to clean up their image.

So next time you get in that car think about how much it really costs, every time you use a plastic bag, think about the Gulf of Mexico and every time you buy fish ask yourself how much oil that fish ate to get to you and next time you bitch about taxes, think about how much of your taxes are being paid to oil companies.

Resources

• Wikipedia- Oil Spills
• For a clearer print and to read more go to Good Magazine
• To send a message to Obama to stop Oil Drilling Go To care 2
• Average Clean Up Cost of Oil Spill
• Oil Spill Cost
• Effects of the Oil Spill

Letter To Obama- Ban Offshore Drilling

Environment California and Amy Smart Call on President Obama to ban drilling from Environment California on Vimeo.

Actress Amy Smart  on Offshore drilling. Click on the link to send a letter to Obama to ban drilling. Pass it on to your friends, tweet and share the video. It’s been over a month and nothing is being done.

Exhausting Test To Encourage Driving Less-Save Money

I was sent this information and thought it was interesting. To encourage people to drive less saving money and the environment, Monoxitube came up with this exhaust tube that runs from the car exhaust into the car, thus giving the driver a taste of their own medicine.

Here is their message- good be a good gift as well:

Biking to work can be invigorating and healthy, but for many it could be harmful.

A ride along a busy street means increased exposure to vehicle exhaust and its pathogens, including carbon monoxide, soot, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, benzene and formaldehyde, which can cause asthma, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Riders may want to choose a route with fewer cars and trucks, notes a clean-air activist who has illustrated the dangers of vehicle exhaust by creating a fake exhaust pipe accessory.

The fictitious “Monoxitube” challenges every driver to “Face Your Exhaust.” The Monoxitube is a 25-foot tube that hypothetically attaches to the exhaust pipe of a car or truck, wraps around the vehicle and slides into the driver’s side window, sending the exhaust straight into the driver’s seat, instead of towards bicyclists.

Clean-air proponent Dave Doctor got the idea for the spoof one morning during his walk to work along busy roads. “I wanted to remind drivers about the toxicity of car exhaust. The Monoxitube idea makes that point in a vivid way,” said Doctor. “No one would drive with the exhaust going into the car. So why is it acceptable to send carbon monoxide and soot out the back of the car and into the air where it will be inhaled by bicyclists and pedestrians?”

The product’s website suggests more than 15 ways drivers can protect themselves and others from car exhaust. Ideas range from telecommuting or taking a bus to creating pedestrian malls free of car exhaust.

To help bicyclists, the site suggests purchasing vehicles designed with tailpipes on the left side, since bicyclists ride to the right. For example, most truck exhaust pipes point to the right.

Tags: Pollution, Transportation
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Asbestos Hazards Can Be Everywhere In Building

Asbestos Hazards

Danger Asbestos

The term asbestos is translated from a Greek adjective that means inextinguishable. The Greeks praised asbestos as the miracle mineral because of its soft texture and superb resistance to heat. A naturally occurring mineral that is found in the soil or in various rock formations, asbestos exists in a variety of colors, forms, and chemical compositions. Asbestos, in one form or another, was mined countries around the world.

In addition to its resistance to heat, asbestos also withstands damage from electricity and chemicals; asbestos also possesses superior sound absorption properties and a high tensile strength. Because of the many desirable properties of asbestos, the substance became a widely utilized material in the construction and manufacturing industries near the close of the 19^th century—use of the popular material declined dramatically in the 1970s when asbestos associated health risks became widely known. 

Types of Asbestos

There are six types of asbestos that are classified as: chrysotile; amosite; crocidolite; tremolite; anthophyllite, and actinolite. One of the chief differences between chrysotile asbestos and other forms of the mineral is the shape and length of the fibers. While chrysotile fibers are curled and flexible, most others are brittle and needle shaped. Asbestos fibers are not water soluble, do not  degrade over time, and are too small to be seen by the naked eye.

Because of its flexible fibers, chrysotile asbestos is the type most widely used by industry; it is estimated that chrysotile asbestos accounts for approximately 95% of the construction materials found in older residential, institutional, and industrial structures today. Chrysotile asbestos can be found in building materials such as:

• Siding and roofing
• Ceiling and floor tiles
• Pipe insulation
• Rope seals for boilers
• Electrical insulation and more

Human Exposures to Asbestos Should be Limited

Because lung inhalation exposures to microscopic, airborne asbestos fibers are strongly associated with a risk to health, such exposures should be avoided. Asbestos causes asbestosis as well as the cancer  a malignant mesothelioma.  Exposure to asbestos fibers can occur in a wide variety of ways. Asbestos in the soil or rock formations can result in airborne exposures if the material is disturbed. Individuals who reside in areas near an asbestos mine may be exposed to airborne asbestos fibers, and air quality samples should be examined closely and on a continual basis to ensure that no such contamination exists. All forms of airborne asbestos fiber exposure should be guarded against through the use of air filtration masks or other types of breathing devices in areas such as:

• Construction demolition or home remodeling sites: Many older structures may house asbestos containing materials. When fractured, these materials can release significant amounts of microscopic asbestos fibers into the air.
• Landfills or other waste collection sites: Asbestos containing materials or products are often illegally deposited in town dumps or similar sites. These asbestos materials are oftentimes in a disturbed or fractured state, and all individuals should protect themselves against asbestos fiber inhalation at such locations.
• Manufacturing facilities: Many manufacturing sites, whether closed or operational, may contain asbestos fibers. When in doubt about the presence of asbestos, breathing protection should always be worn. Additionally, any clothing that may become contaminated with asbestos must be handled with great care, and to be safe, discarded. Industrial hygiene practices are better today, but in the past, workers at the plants and factories that made asbestos products were often the victims of the material.  The long latency period of mesothelioma means that the cancer shows up decades after asbestos exposure.
• The home: Many older and some new household appliances may contain asbestos. Asbestos has been found in such items as toaster ovens, older model electric stoves, etc. Asbestos has also been discovered in children’s toys, hair rollers, certain types of caulks and sealers, etc.

Be aware of asbestos hazards at home and at the workplace.

Taxpayer Cost Of Illegal Dumping In Houston= $5 Million

Kevin Develle says he is by no means an activist. Nor does he consider himself an environmentalist.

But the scene he finds every day while walking the West Lake Houston bridge over the San Jacinto river, connecting Atascocita and Kingwood, has become too disturbing to ignore.

“There is trash everywhere, under that bridge,” he said. “Some of it probably floated down from upstream and collected there, and has probably been there for a long time, but a lot of that trash also looks like it was tossed from cars as they drive across the bridge. I hate seeing this. It has turned into a big dumping ground. ”

According to Houston city council member Mike Sullivan, who under former Mayor Bill White called for the formation of a committee to oversee water quality issues around Lake Houston and other area waterways, two main concerns with the San Jacinto river are sedimentation and pollution.

“It is a critical issue,” he said. “The Coastal Water Authority has a contract with the city for debris removal, and we will see if it encompasses that particular area under that bridge.”

Sullivan said that it is not unusual for debris to collect in the nooks and crannies of a riverbed, especially after a period of rain. If the city’s financial resources and priorities allow, he said, his office will look into a clean-up effort.

“But the government is not the solution for everything,” Sullivan said, calling area residents to shoulder some of the responsibility to keep their community clean and take action. “Businesses and organizations often adopt a street – that’s how you get things done. The annual city-sponsored Trash Bash is coming up, and that’s a perfect example of volunteers cleaning up the banks of Lake Houston and the San Jacinto.”

Develle, who has walked the bridge regularly for the last five years, said he is saddened by the defacement of the riverbanks.

“I don’t want to imagine what the bottom of the lake looks like. This is our drinking water,” he said. “We don’t have a lot of wild areas anymore. There tare ducks, swan, pelicans, deer – it’s one of the few wild places that’s left, but people have no respect for the environment.”

A recent press release issued by Crime Stoppers of Houston stated that illegal dumping and the effort to clean up the trash others left behind costs the city nearly $5 million each year.

Read The Full Story at HConline www.hcnonline.com/articles/2010/02/06/kingwood_observer/news/0610dumpingko.txt