We returned last night from our visit to Ecuador with Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Massachusetts). The delegation spent three days in Ecuador’s eastern Amazon basin region, near the border with Colombia. We visited sites that had been badly contaminated by oil production, the subject of ongoing litigation between U.S. oil company Chevron and thousands of citizens from the region. We visited towns bordering Colombia where local populations were dealing with continued high refugee flows, threats from illegal armed groups, and violence from a narco-economy that continues to flourish. And we spent a day in Quito meeting with officials.
We will post more about what we saw soon. In the meantime, here are some photos from the trip. More can be viewed here and here.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) at Yuca 5 oil well site, November 9
Visit to San Carlos, Orellana, November 9
Shushufindi 38 Oil Well Site, November 10
Shushufindi 38 Oil Well Site, November 10
Shushufindi 38 Oil Well Site, November 10
On a barge outside Lago Agrio, Ecuador, November 10
Visit to Cofán indigenous community in Dureno, SucumbÃos, November 10
Visit to Cofán indigenous community in Dureno, SucumbÃos, November 10
On the road between Lago Agrio and Barranca Bermeja, SucumbÃos, November 11
In Barranca Bermeja, looking across the San Miguel River at Putumayo, Colombia, November 11
Meeting with community leaders in Barranca Bermeja, SucumbÃos, November 11
Meeting with community leaders in Barranca Bermeja, SucumbÃos, November 11
Meeting with community leaders in Puerto Mestanza, SucumbÃos, November 11
Meeting with President Rafael Correa, Quito, November 12
November 14th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
Great Pics! Hey Adam you are growing a respectable tummy. Is that redhead your son?
November 14th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Jaime – while I may be a bit soft in the middle, I’m only visible in one of those pictures, from behind! (The second one, from San Carlos.)
November 14th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Hey, Adam I did not mean the front gallery but the other ones you pointed out. A pull up routine would not hurt too much j/k
November 15th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Leave ‘im alone. Adam looks fine. Love the Ecuador pictures. Ecuador always awes with its light and beauty.