Target: Andrés Mendizábal, CEO of OCP Ecuador
Goal: Hold company responsible for major oil spill and make sure Indigenous communities are kept safe.
An oil spill described as a “major” pollution event occurred in Eastern Ecuador, contaminating a river that supplies water to Indigenous communities. It also reached protected areas of the Amazon Rainforest. Additionally, nearly five acres of the Cayambe Coca National Park, including the Coca River, were contaminated, thus putting many animals at risk. These include red brocket deer and multiple species of amphibians. Heavy rains produced a mudslide that caused a rock to strike and rupture an oil pipeline owned by a private company called OCP Ecuador. The company refuses to disclose the full extent and damage of the spill.
OCP pipeline company has allegedly been a problem for Indigenous communities before. Their water supply is cut off. The contamination made it unable to be used or consumed in any way. OCP Ecuador reports they have stopped pumping crude oil and have specialists to clean up the mess. That is not enough. The company has received demands to carry out a full investigation on the spill’s impact and disclose more information to the public, and should also be response for supplying food and water the communities that the spill has put at risk.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Andrés Mendizábal,
The recent oil spill caused by one of your pipelines puts people, rainforests, and endangered animals at risk. It is not enough to disclose minimal details and stop pumping oil for the time being. OCP Ecuador is responsible for this major harmful event, which needs to be stopped altogether. There needs to be extensive cleaning and an investigation done to measure just how much damage was done. The communities affected by the spill deserve clean water and food. The river that was contaminated was their main supply for survival and now it has been taken away by your company’s actions. Please help the communities and make sure this alnever happens again.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Dallas Krentzel
Please put an end to any company that seems to not about innocent beings or animals do not need clean water. There needs to be an end to drilling oil and not taking the proper measures to clean up this oil that is so very harmful to our planet.
This is outrageous! Oil companies must redress all damage they do, and be made to compensate their victims! This is common sense! Why is it not being done?!