Activists Continue Tar Sands Blockade in Texas
Two environmental activists were arrested in East Texas Tuesday as protesters there continue their push to block construction of the Keystone XL oil pipeline. Activists with the Tar Sands Blockade are claiming to have thwarted construction efforts outside Winnsboro, Texas, for most of the day after two people locked themselves to a backhoe. The pair were reportedly pepper-sprayed, tasered and put in chokeholds by police before being arrested. Meanwhile, eight other activists remain aloft in a “tree village” in a bid to block tree-clearing equipment that’s making way for the pipeline’s southern leg.
Supreme Court Declines to Block Chevron’s $18 Billion Fine for Ecuador Pollution
The Supreme Court has upheld a lower court ruling denying the oil giant Chevron’s bid to block an $18 billion fine for polluting Ecuador’s rain forest since the 1970s. Amazonian residents won the judgment last year after a long-running case seeking damages for Chevron’s dumping of billions of gallons of toxic oil waste. The initial ruling called on Chevron to pay $8.6 billion, but then rose to more than double that amount after Chevron failed to apologize. Chevron was appealing a lower court decision that threw out an injunction the company had won to block enforcement of the fine, but on Tuesday the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal without comment.
Protest by Indigenous Groups Halts Dam Construction
In Brazil, indigenous groups have occupied the construction of a major hydroelectric dam in the Amazon rain forest, bringing work on the project to a halt. The $11 billion Belo Monte Dam project was initially approved over the objections of indigenous communities who have brought numerous challenges, citing environmental concerns and the fear of mass displacement. Construction has resumed over the past month after being put on hold to address those complaints. The group Amazon Watch says dozens of indigenous activists have joined a 24-day occupation accusing the construction consortium behind the project of flouting agreements.