Bob McCarty Writes

“Big Oil” is under siege.  Nowhere, however, are the stakes higher than in Ecuador.  Within six months, a judge in that country is expected to issue a decision in a class-action environmental lawsuit that could cost San Ramon, Calif.-based Chevron Oil Company $27 billion.

To learn more about the case, I will soon travel with my oldest son, Matt, to ChevronLatin America’s offices in Miami for a briefing.  After the briefing, however, I will return to St. Louis while Matt accompanies Chevron officials on a fact-finding journey to Ecuador.

During a short stay in the South American nation, Matt will visit several locations, including the oil fields of the Oriente Basin, not far from the Columbia border.  Along the way, the soon-to-be college sophomore will shoot photos and video footage, conduct interviews and collect other first-hand details about the case for publication in future posts.  If things work out well, I will receive daily updates from Matt and the Quito hotel room doubling as a remote office for Bob McCarty Writes.

For a primer on the case, I offer links below to the web sites of the opposing sides in the court battle:

• The plaintiff, Amazon Defense Coalition, outlines it’s case here; and

• The defendant, Chevron, outlines its case here.

Stay tuned to this blog during the next few weeks and months for more reporting on this monumental case.

Note: Though Chevron is paying our travel-related expenses, I assure you that I will present arguments from parties on both sides of the matter in future posts.  I do not, however, offer any guarantee that you will agree with my conclusions.

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UPDATE 4/26/09: As noted in a Twitter tweet a short while ago, I received word earlier today that the fact-finding trip to Ecuador is postponed with a makeup date undetermined at this point. I will offer an update as soon as I get one.  Stay tuned.

UPDATE 5/04/09: See my latest piece, Blogger Targeted by ‘Spin’ in $27 Billion Lawsuit, published today.

To learn more about the ADC’s spurious lawsuit against Chevron in Ecuador, read these BMW posts.