Chevron Oil Spill Of the Coast of Brazil

On November 7th a crude oil platform belonging to the Chevron Corporation, off the coast of Brazil near Rio de Janeiro began leaking oil into the Atlantic. The Chevron Co. was not quick to admit the extent of the spill and attempted to make it seem less extreme than it really was. This may contribute to the lack of air time given that was given to this environmental disaster in mainstream media.

Throughout the duration of the leakage the corporation was attempting to prevent a lawsuit by saying the leak was merely "infrequent droplets". This statement is undoubtedly false, especially after you consider that at the end of the spill the surface water contained 5,000 to 8,000 barrels of crude oil, with more that may still be rising to the surface.

This spill, and many more like it, are cases of incompetence and could have easily been avoided with careful safety inspections that are suppose to be in place already. Brazil is currently attempting to sue the Chevron Corporation for $28 million if its apparent that the spill was a result of incompetence in execution of its emergency plan. Brazil's Federal Police are also investigating the spill, and say those responsible for the spill could face up to 5 years in jail.



http://globalvoicesonline.org/2011/11/23/brazil-chevron-oil-spill/
http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/21/world/americas/brazil-oil-spill/index.html?iref=allsearch