Chevron in Ecuador

The archive of the Clean Up Ecuador campaign website


Summary of Analysis of Damages to Ecuador's Amazon Basin

Amazon Defense Coalition
17 September 2010

On August 2, 2010, the Ecuador Court hearing the lawsuit brought by 30,000 rainforest residents against Chevron issued an Order directing both Chevron and the affected communities to submit a document setting forth and justifying their positions on the economic value of the damages. In accordance with the Court's Order, the Ecuadorian communities submitted a legal brief along with six Annexes prepared by environmental, economic, and medical consultants retained by the communities. These expert valuation assessments were submitted to add additional scientific analysis and insight for the Court on the issue of damages utilizing evidence in the record and from relevant public studies. This document is a summary of these supplemental analyses.

Download the Official Court Submission: Plaintiffs' Environmental and Social Damages Assessment Criteria (in Spanish).

Download the summary, official court submission, and all appendices as a Zip file here (in English and Spanish).

Download CVs of the experts who prepared these analyses as a Zip file here.

A 2005 letter signed by fifty eminent scientists and doctors from across Latin America, North America and Europe defending the approach used in these analyses to study health effects and decrying Chevron's "apparent interest in protecting itself by undermining the Amazonian people's quest for environmental justice" can be found here.

 

Appendices:

  • Appendix A: Soil and Groundwater Remediation (also available in Spanish)
    An evaluation and estimate of the potential costs for the remediation of environmental damages in the oil Concession area in the Oriente region of Ecuador, prepared by Douglas C. Allen, P.A. ("DCA"), an esteemed environmental consulting firm that specializes in helping organizations to define, quantify and manage their high-risk environmental exposures and liabilities.
  • Appendix B: Analysis of Unjust Enrichment (also available in Spanish)
    An analysis of Chevron’s "unjust enrichment" by virtue of non-compliance with environmental requirements, prepared by Jonathan Shefftz, a financial economist holding a Master of Public Policy degree from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Mr. Shefftz has performed economic modeling and analyses on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, and numerous other federal and state government agencies, as well as numerous private corporations, industry groups, and non-profit organizations.
  • Appendix C: Analysis of Healthcare Costs to Address Affected Population (also available in Spanish)
    An analysis of the estimated costs to deliver healthcare to the residents of the area adversely affected by Chevron's oil operations, prepared by Dr. Carlos Picone, a medical doctor based in the Washington, D.C. area. Dr. Picone is certified in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, critical care medicine, and hospice and palliative care medicine.
  • Appendix D: Analysis of Excess Cancer Deaths (also available in Spanish)
    An estimate of the number and costs of excess cancer deaths associated with residence in the oil-producing areas of the Sucumbios and Orellana Provinces, prepared by Dr. Daniel L. Rourke. Dr. Rourke received his Ph.D from the University of California, Los Angeles, and over the course of his career, has been affiliated with some of the premier financial, accounting, and public policy organizations in the United States.
  • Appendix D [Addendum]: Analysis of Excess Cancer Deaths (in English only)
    An addendum to the previous report estimating number and costs of excess cancer deaths associated with residence in oil-producing areas in the Ecuadorian Amazon; makes specific recommendations in regards to estimating excess cancer deaths and the impact of environmental remediation on excess cancer deaths in the region.
  • Appendix E: Analysis of Natural Resources Service Losses (also available in Spanish)
    An examination of the extent to which natural resources services in the oil Concession area may be reduced due to oil field development and operation, i.e., environmental impacts that do not lend themselves to cleanup. This analysis has been prepared by Dr. Lawrence W. Barnthouse, a leading researcher and practitioner in ecological risk assessment. Dr. Barnthouse has developed ecological risk assessment methods for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and also specializes in environmental restoration planning.
  • Appendix F: Estimation of Cost to Deliver Potable Water to Affected Population (also available in Spanish)
    An analysis of the cost of implementing a potable water system for residents within the Concession area where Chevron carried out oil exploration and production activities, prepared by Dr. Robert Paolo Scardina. Dr. Scardinia is a civil and environmental engineer affiliated with the Virginia Polytechnic Institute, one of the leading institutions of scientific and technical research and education in the United States. Dr. Scardina holds a Ph.D in Civil Engineering, and a Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering.
  • Appendix G: Analysis of Cultural Damage to Indigenous Population (in Spanish only)
    An analysis of the severe adverse cultural impacts of Chevron's oil operations on indigenous populations living in the oil Concession area.