Brazil Officials Criticize Chevron Over Oil Spill

[alp227]

Source: NYT

Chevron came under intense scrutiny in Brazil on Friday over an oil spill at an offshore field the company operates, with federal investigators here threatening fines for Chevron and potential prison terms for its officials if they are found guilty of violating environmental contamination laws.

The response to the spill, which Chevron said it was notified of on Nov. 8 and which left an oil sheen near Brazil’s southeast coast, is an important test for the authorities as Brazil moves to tap oil from its large recent offshore discoveries. If Brazil meets its ambitious production goals, it may emerge by the 2020s as the world’s fourth-largest oil producer after Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United States.

While the spill, from an appraisal well in the Campos Basin, is thought to be much smaller than BP’s oil spill last year in the Gulf of Mexico and is said by Chevron to have almost dissipated, it also presents an additional challenge for Chevron in Latin America. In nearby Ecuador, Chevron has faced seething resentment and a protracted legal battle over oil contamination in the country’s rain forest.

Fábio Scliar, the head of the environment affairs division of the federal police, flew this week over the area of the spill, where Chevron has said it has 18 vessels controlling and is monitoring the sheen. In an interview on Friday, Mr. Scliar expressed annoyance over Chevron’s handling of the spill and its methods of cooperating with Brazilian investigators.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/19/business/energy-environment/brazil-officials-criticize-chevron-over-oil-spill.html

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The response to the spill, which Chevron said it was notified of on Nov. 8, is an important test for the authorities as Brazil moves to tap oil from its large recent offshore discoveries. (Reuters photo)

[defendandprotect]

1. Criminal Chevron -- and ExxonMobil -- are so good at destroying the environment .....

it almost becomes boring!!

OMG!!

[russspeakeasy]

2. I didn't know that criticism of big oil was allowed.