EarthRights claims that both Total and Chevron have tried to dismiss the abuses, which include forced labor and killings, by Myanmar troops along the Yadana Pipeline. The group also maintains that the $4.8 billion in revenue from the project has allowed the ruling military junta to continue to exist.

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Judge Juan Nunez has recused himself in the case which focuses around claims that Chevron has been environmentally irresponsible in Ecuador’s Amazonian rainforest. He is the fifth judge to leave the case. While he refuses to discuss the reasons he has disqualified himself from giving judgment in the case, there has been a flurry of claim and counterclaim around Chevron’s release of video in which he appears to say to members of the ruling Alianza Pais party that he will decide against Chevron, although judgment is not due to be given until October.

Chevron further alleges Nunez was to be given a $15 million ‘commission’ by the party, for deciding against the oil company. Judge Nunez says the video was manipulated – Chevron say it was not and that they will bring a counter-case against him for corruption.

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Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by filmmaker Joe Berlinger, director of Crude. For more information visit the Crude film website.

During the summer of 2005, a charismatic American environmental lawyer named Steven Donziger knocked on my Manhattan office door. He was running a $27 billion class-action lawsuit on behalf of 30,000 Ecuadorean inhabitants of the Amazon rainforest and was looking for a filmmaker to tell his clients’ story.

Since I am not known as an environmental filmmaker — my last film, “Metallica: Some Kind of Monster,” was a warts-and-all portrait of a heavy metal band in crisis — I was a little surprised that Donziger had sought me out to me to make his pitch.

The story the lawyer told me was indeed shocking: From the mid-1960s until the early 1990s, Texaco (now Chevron) dumped 18 billion gallons of oil and toxic waste into the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador, creating a 1,700-square-mile “cancer death zone” the size of Rhode Island. The plaintiffs he represented alleged that birth defects, leukemia, miscarriages and other ailments were plaguing the people of the region, and the Amazon itself — one of the few places on Earth to survive the last ice age — was gasping for breath under the strain of oil exploitation.

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We can’t expect much from the oil industry, but Greenpeace’s newest finding is as ugly as it gets.

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Specifically, Zuniga ruled that Chevron’s environmental analysis failed to account for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, saying the report lacked a detailed explanation for how the addition of a hydrogen plant and distribution pipeline would change pollution levels from the refinery.

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Tar sand, a source of non-conventional oil, consists of bitumen, a sticky, tar-like form of petroleum which is so thick and heavy that it must be heated or diluted before it will flow. Harvesting tar sand requires huge amounts of energy and water.

In addition to heavy water use, extraction of Alberta’s Athabasca oil sands also involves clear-cutting of the Boreal Forest, formation of toxic “tailings” lakes, habitat destruction of iconic species such as the woodland caribou, and up to five times higher greenhouse gas emissions than conventional oil extraction. All of these factors lead Canada’s Environmental Defence to label tar sand development “the most destructive project on Earth.”

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A documentary or any feature film, like a good dessert, needs good texture. Some docs offer light delicate flavors, while others serve up crisp tawdry offerings but Crude, the latest feature documentary from director Joe Berlinger (Brother’s Keeper, Metallica: Some Kind of Monster) brings a feel so viscous its some wonder that the film and the emotions within it don’t just ooze into the theater.

And why wouldn’t the film be viscous with center of the film swirling around a legal case about the black gold being pumped out of the jungles of Ecuador. Some have called the case the “Amazon Chernobyl” but whatever the name, Berlinger delves head first into this the David versus Goliath story that circles around one of the longest and most controversial legal (not to mention environmental and human rights) cases ever.

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Today seven activists are facing a crowd of some of the world’s biggest proponents of coal-based energy at the World Coal-to-Liquids Conference 2009 in Washington, DC.

The group, acting as Rising Tide DC, interrupted the planned panel discussion to interject some ideas of their own about the environmental detestation caused by coal technologies. The panel, which began at 4:30 pm, includes representatives of Chevron, the World Coal Institute, the World Petroleum Council, and Consol Energy.

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A federal jury ruled yesterday that Chevron had done nothing wrong a decade ago when it called the Nigerian military to control protesters who had taken control of an oil platform, demanding better treatment and jobs.

In the end, the military killed two protesters. Accounts of the incident vary drastically: Chevron says the protesters were violent, armed, and had taken workers hostage, while the protesters and their lawyers claim they had been entirely peaceful and engaged in civil disobedience.

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The League of Conservation Voters has launched a new campaign to counter Chevron’s newest greenwashed advertising blitz. In their new ads, Chevron asks, “Will You Join Us?” and gives examples of the things people can do on a personal level to stop global warming.

They don’t mention what they as a company have the power to do. Instead, they ask people to do things like take their golf clubs out of their trunk, replace light bulbs with CFLs, and “consider” buying a hybrid.

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Organizers from Global Exchange, Justice in Nigeria Now, and West County Toxics Coalition gathered at a Chevron gas station here in San Francisco on Monday in support for the Nigerian plaintiffs in a human rights trial against the oil company. About 100 anti-Chevron protesters were staged in front of the gas station located at 9th and Howard.

At the federal court building a few blocks away jury selection was beginning for the case, “Bowoto v. Chevron.” The lawsuit results from an incident back in 1998 in which more than a hundred Nigerians occupied a Chevron drilling platform for three days. The protest resulted in Chevron unleashing Nigerian security forces to have them removed which led to three injuries and one death.

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Those are some of the introductory words of Lou Dematteis, one of the authors and photographers of the new photo book Crude Reflections: Oil, Ruin, and Resistance in the Amazon Rainforest.

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• By the end of 2005, US crude oil production had dropped to 4.86 million barrels per day, which is less than 45% of America’s peak production in 1970.
• By 2005, America was producing less oil than it did in 1950.
• The 1970 record oil production represented more than 40% of total world production, but it was still not enough to meet America’s appetite for oil-almost 15 million barrels per day in 1970.
• By the end of 2005, U.S. oil consumption had increased to about 21 million barrels per day, while U.S. production, as noted above, had dropped to 5 million barrels.  American now has to import more than 75% of the oil it consumes.
• By way of comparison, at the time of the 1973 oil crisis, during which Americans endured closed gas stations and gas lines blocks long, the United States imported less than one-third of its oil.

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  ]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/10/15/why-drill-baby-drill-will-never-be-an-energy-solution-and-is-not-an-energy-policy/feed/ http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/10/09/tv-guide-abc-airs-oil-ads-while-refusing-solar-power-advert/ http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/10/09/tv-guide-abc-airs-oil-ads-while-refusing-solar-power-advert/#comments Thu, 09 Oct 2008 09:47:35 +0000 Jerry James Stone http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/10/09/tv-guide-abc-airs-oil-ads-while-refusing-solar-power-advert/ In a bit of TV Mis-Guided, the ABC Network is refusing adverts by Al Gore’s We Campaign all the while running ads on oil for Chevron.

  The campaign is working to get the ad aired on the next 20/20. The ad details how massive ad dollars spent by oil and coal companies is the key reason America hasn’t switched to cleaner renewable energy sources. Help the We Campaign get this advertisement aired!

  This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

  Video source: We Campaign

  ]]> http://planetsave.com/blog/2008/10/09/tv-guide-abc-airs-oil-ads-while-refusing-solar-power-advert/feed/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/10/07/the-sarah-palin-chronicles-on-energy-and-big-oil-part-four/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/10/07/the-sarah-palin-chronicles-on-energy-and-big-oil-part-four/#comments Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:37:25 +0000 Jerry James Stone http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/10/07/the-sarah-palin-chronicles-on-energy-and-big-oil-part-four/ Sarah Palin dismisses alternative energy in favor of a pipeline built by God.

  

  
  More on Palin >>

  From Think Progress

  Palin’s First Statewide Campaign Was Fueled By Veco. “While mayor of Wasilla, Palin ran for lieutenant governor in 2002. She gathered $5,000 — or about 10 percent of her campaign fund — from Veco officials or their wives along the way.” [Anchorage Daily News, 9/6/06]

  Palin’s Inauguration Was Sponsored By BP. Beyond Petroleum Exploration Inc. is listed by the Alaska Inaugural Committee as a sponsor of Palin’s 2007 Governor’s Balls. [Alaska Inaugural Committee]

  Palin Is A Top Arctic Wildlife Refuge Drilling Advocate. Palin said she thinks McCain is “going to evolve into, eventually, supporting ANWR opening also” and “I’d like the opportunity to get to change his mind about ANWR.” [Kudlow & Co., 6/25/08]

  Palin Opposes Lieberman’s Bill To Prevent Arctic Refuge Drilling. In a letter to Congress opposing the Arctic Wilderness Act (S. 2316), Palin wrote that “as a citizen of the United States” she believes “development [of the Refuge] should be authorized.” [Letter to Sen. Akaka, 11/9/07]

  Palin Dismisses Alternative Energy. Palin said that “Congress needs to lift the ban on drilling” because “alternative-energy solutions are far from imminent and would require more than 10 years to develop.” [Charleston Post and Courier, 8/16/08]

  Palin Believes It Is ‘God’s Will’ To Build A Natural Gas Pipeline. Speaking to the Wasilla Assembly of God church in June, Palin said, “I think God’s will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that,” referring to a $30 billion national gas pipeline project. [Huffington Post, 9/2/08]

  Related posts:

  Sex, Lies and Oilgate: A Crude Analysis (Part One)
  McCain’s 13-Car Footprint
  Setting the Record Straight: Sarah Palin and the Bridge to Nowhere

  Image source: Chovee on Flickr

  << Previous Post: On Ethics, Part Three | Foreign Policy, Part Five: Next Post >>
  

  ]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/10/07/the-sarah-palin-chronicles-on-energy-and-big-oil-part-four/feed/ http://ecoworldly.com/2008/09/29/ecuador-1st-nation-in-world-to-give-nature-rights-via-constitution/ http://ecoworldly.com/2008/09/29/ecuador-1st-nation-in-world-to-give-nature-rights-via-constitution/#comments Mon, 29 Sep 2008 01:03:37 +0000 Levi Novey http://ecoworldly.com/2008/09/29/ecuador-1st-nation-in-world-to-give-nature-rights-via-constitution/ Exit polls indicate that a majority of Ecuadorians have voted yes to a new constitution. The constitution is the first in the world’s history to grant nature legal rights, and also to allow individuals to sue on nature’s behalf in courts. It is a major victory for Ecuador’s President, Rafael Correa.

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2008/09/29/ecuador-1st-nation-in-world-to-give-nature-rights-via-constitution/feed/ http://ecoworldly.com/2008/09/25/ecuadors-president-will-quit-if-new-pro-nature-constitution-not-approved/ http://ecoworldly.com/2008/09/25/ecuadors-president-will-quit-if-new-pro-nature-constitution-not-approved/#comments Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:17:52 +0000 Levi Novey http://ecoworldly.com/2008/09/25/ecuadors-president-will-quit-if-new-pro-nature-constitution-not-approved/ On Sunday Ecuadorians will vote to accept or reject a new constitution for their country. The constitution would make major changes to how the government functions. Among the constitution’s 444 articles, highlights include giving the government more control over the mining, oil, transportation, telecommunication, and banking industries, allowing the president to run immediately for re-election after his or her first-term, bestowing nature with legal rights, and giving individual citizens the ability to fight for nature’s rights legally in courts.

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://ecoworldly.com/2008/09/25/ecuadors-president-will-quit-if-new-pro-nature-constitution-not-approved/feed/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/09/22/the-sarah-palin-chronicles-show-us-your-ethics-part-three/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/09/22/the-sarah-palin-chronicles-show-us-your-ethics-part-three/#comments Tue, 23 Sep 2008 04:40:52 +0000 Jerry James Stone http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/09/22/the-sarah-palin-chronicles-show-us-your-ethics-part-three/ Drugs, sex, and backroom deals kept the Interior Department unbiased while working with big oil companies like Shell and Chevron.

  

  Can we afford to have our government fornicating with big oil when the integrity of our planet is at stake? Most definitely not. Palin’s record is already dirty enough to warrant a trip to the free clinic, and that’s just as Governor! What is she capable of if elected as VP?

  From Think Progress

  Palin’s Lobbyist Had ‘Close Ties’ To Don Young, Ted Stevens. “As mayor of Wasilla, however, Palin oversaw the hiring of Robertson, Monagle & Eastaugh, an Anchorage-based law firm with close ties to Alaska’s most senior Republicans: Rep. Don Young and Sen. Ted Stevens, who was indicted in July on charges of accepting illegal gifts.” [9/2/08]

  Palin’s Lobbyist Was Part Of ‘Team Abramoff.’ Steven Silver, the lobbyist Palin hired as Wasilla Mayor, also listed Jack Abramoff’s lobbying firm, Greenberg Traurig, as a client. Silver lobbied on issues similar to those headed up by Abramoff, including “Indian/Native American policy” and “legislation relating to gaming issues.” [TPMmuckracker, 9/2/08; Washington Post, 9/2/08]

  Palin Served As Director Of ‘Ted Stevens Excellence In Public Service’ 527. Palin’s name was listed on 2003 incorporation papers of the “Ted Stevens Excellence in Public Service, Inc.,” a 527 group that could raise unlimited funds from corporate donors. She also “served as one of three directors until June 2005, when her name was replaced on state filings.” [Washington Post, 9/1/08]

  State Employee Charged Palin With Ethics Violation. A state employee filed an ethics complaint alleging Palin tried to secure a job for one of her supporters. The complaint accused Palin and her top staffers of “breaking executive ethics branch and hiring rules. It centers on the hiring of surveyor Tom Lamal, who once co-hosted a Palin fundraiser, for a state right-of-way agent job in Fairbanks.” [Anchorage Daily News, 9/7/08]

  Palin Forced Top Wasilla Employees To Resign As Loyalty Test. As Mayor of Wasilla in 1998, “asked all of the city’s top managers to resign in order to test their loyalty to her administration.”[Daily Sitka Sentenial, 10/28/06]

  Palin Fired Police Chief For Not Fully Supporting Her. After becoming Mayor of Wasilla, Palin fired the city’s police chief, Irl Stambaugh, writing, “I do not feel I have your full support in my efforts to govern the city of Wasilla. Therefore I intend to terminate your employment.” Stambaugh charged that Palin fired him “because he stepped on the toes of Palin’s campaign contributors, including bar owners and the National Rifle Association.” [Anchorage Daily News, 2/1/97; ABC News, 9/3/08]

  Palin Used Mayoral Office Resources For Campaigning. During her 2002 campaign for lieutenant governor, Palin ordered campaign materials from City Hall, had them delivered there, and used city employees on city-aid time to arrange campaign events. According to the Anchorage Daily News, there was “no indication she repaid the city for the incidental expenses the city incurred.” [Anchorage Daily News, 7/21/06]

  Palin Billed Taxpayers For Nights Spent At Home. Palin billed the state for “312 nights spent in her own home during her first 19 months in office, charging a “per diem” allowance intended to cover meals and incidental expenses while traveling on state business.” She also charged for travel expenses to take her children and husband on “official out-of-town missions.” [Washington Post, 9/9/08]

  Related posts:

  Sex, Lies and Oilgate: A Crude Analysis (Part One)
  McCain’s 13-Car Footprint
  Setting the Record Straight: Sarah Palin and the Bridge to Nowhere

  Image source: Anderson Mancini on Flickr

  << Previous Post: The Environment, Part Two | Big Oil, Part Four : Next Post >>
  

  ]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/09/22/the-sarah-palin-chronicles-show-us-your-ethics-part-three/feed/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/09/11/sex-lies-and-oilgate-a-crude-analysis-part-one/ http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/09/11/sex-lies-and-oilgate-a-crude-analysis-part-one/#comments Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:04:44 +0000 Jerry James Stone http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/09/11/sex-lies-and-oilgate-a-crude-analysis-part-one/ Some U.S. government employees are in really hot water, and not the jacuzzi-shaped kind they’d like it to be. According to three reports delivered to Congress today, a $5.3 million investigation uncovered “a culture of ethical failure” amongst the Interior Department. The department’s inspector general - Earl E. Devaney - found that over a dozen current and former employees had engaged in such transgressions.

  Here’s where it gets real juicy! Like something straight out of a Kid Rock video, the allegations include drug use, sexual relations between federal employees and oil company employees, rigging oil contracts, working part-time as oil consultants, and accepting gifts like golf and ski trips. Somewhat amusingly, Devaney had this to say of the Minerals Management Service (MMS):

  “Sexual relationships with prohibited sources cannot, by definition, be arms-length.”

  Read more of this story »

  ]]> http://redgreenandblue.org/2008/09/11/sex-lies-and-oilgate-a-crude-analysis-part-one/feed/