In 1992, Texaco called an end to almost three decades of oil drilling in Ecuador — and left behind a legacy of miles of pipelines and 20 billion gallons of toxic waste that destroyed the rainforest, fouled waterways, and exposed residents to cancer-causing pollutants. Now, 30,000 jungle residents of Ecuador and Peru whose environment was permanently despoiled are suing ChevronTexaco for $1 billion. The road to court was a long one, with the parties spending a decade arguing over venue alone. The case will be heard in Ecuador, but last year, a New York federal judge reached a landmark conclusion that any financial penalty imposed in Ecuador would be upheld in the U.S., making it the first time a foreign judgment on an environmental case will be enforceable in the U.S. Last year, ChevronTexaco, the world’s second-largest oil company, took in $99 billion in revenues.
