On May 25th, an unprecedented global network of Chevron-affect communities released “True Cost of Chevron: An Alternative Annual Report” to the press and to address the true cost of Chevron’s operations in their communities.

(Cross posted from Amazon Watch’s Campaign for Justice in Ecuador)

Representing diverse communities around the world that have come together to challenge the impact of oil giant Chevron’s operations on their lives, the ‘True Cost of Chevron‘ coalition is unprecedented.

This morning, several dozen people – from Angola, Burma, Canada, Colombia, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, and several communities across the U.S. – gathered together to briefly plan our press conference on the day before Chevron’s annual shareholders meeting. The room was buzzing with organizers, community leaders, and people with powerful stories of devastation, as well as resistance, against one of the largest companies in the world.

Soon, we headed downtown to Chevron’s Houston headquarters, a tall, gleaming glass building in an urban area eerily devoid of foot traffic. A local told me that with the sweltering heat, many people choose to use underground, air-conditioned tunnels to move from parking lot to building and between buildings.

(Read the rest on the Campaign for Justine in Ecuador site)

Additional resources:

Rainforest Action Network’s photo slideshow of the True Cost of Chevron Press Conference.

From Amazon Watch: Video of Guillermo Grefa, Indigenous Kichwa leader from the Rumipamba community, speaking at the True Cost of Chevron press conference!

As public outrage at the oil industry intensifies and questions on how to reign in the industry abound, an unprecedented global coalition of communities harmed by — and fighting back against — the industry present both a groundbreaking report, The True Cost of Chevron: An Alternative Annual Report and a landmark organizing model for taking on Big Oil.

With nearly 50 authors from 16 countries and ten states across the U.S. where Chevron operates, The True Cost of Chevron is a damning exposé revealing the true cost paid for Chevron’s operations, from coal to chemicals, offshore to onshore production, pipelines to refineries, natural gas to toxic waste, and lobbying and campaign contributions to greenwashing.

From the coalfields of Wyoming to the oil fields of Indonesia, the report covers communities directly harmed by – and fighting back against – Chevron from Alabama, New Mexico, Alaska, California, Mississippi, Texas, Angola, Australia, Burma, Canada, Chad, Cameroon, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Nigeria, Philippines, Thailand, and from Iraq Veterans Against the War.

Chevron’s Annual Report celebrates 130 years of Chevron operations. In it, the company declares that the “values of The Chevron Way” include operating “with the highest standards of integrity and respect for human rights.”

Global Exchange Chevron Program Director Antonia Juhasz explains:

The communities and our allies who bear the consequences of Chevron’s offshore drilling rigs, oil and natural gas production, coal fields, refineries, depots, pipelines, exploration, chemical plants, political control, consumer abuse, false promises, and much more, have a very different account to offer. Thus, we prepared our second Alternative Annual Report for Chevron.

The report is gaining national attention.

The San Francisco Chronicle covered the release of the report on the front page of its Business Section. The story was picked up by the Houston Chronicle and posted on USA Today’s website.

Who’s Behind the Report? Global Exchange Chevron Program Director Antonia Juhasz is proud to be the lead author and editor of this report and Global Exchange Chevron Program Associate Thomas J. Buonomo is proud to be a report co-author. Other contributing organizations include Amazon Watch, Justice in Nigeria Now, CorpWatch and many others. For a complete list of authors and more information, check out the press release on our website or on the True Cost of Chevron Network.

What You Can Do!

  • Download the report(hard copies are also available) to see what Chevron is trying to hide.
  • Please share the report with your friends; post it on your website, blog, face book pages, twitter, etc.
  • Most importantly, please read the report and be inspired to join us in taking action against Big Oil!