California to examine its Amazon oil ties following pleas from Indigenous leaders from Ecuador
Richmond On Thursday, an oil tanker moored at Chevron’s enormous refinery in Richmond, providing a clear connection between the isolated rainforest regions where Amazon crude is collected and California’s desire for it. Indigenous elders from Ecuador’s Amazon region paddled kayaks into stormy seas just offshore, shielded from the Bay wind by puffy jackets, to draw attention to the oil development that is endangering their territories.
The state Senate of California introduced a historic resolution demanding officials to look into the state’s role in importing petroleum from the Amazon as a result of their visit.The action being taken as the Ecuadorian government gets ready to auction off 14 new oil blocks totaling over 2 million hectares of rainforest, a large portion of which is Indigenous territory, in the Sur Oriente bidding round in 2026.
The action, according to the Indigenous elders, is contrary to the spirit of a national referendum in which Ecuadorians decided to keep crude oil in Yasuni National Park forever below.
Ecuador’s preservation effort coincides with ambitions to further develop its oil resources in Brazil, another South American nation that has a portion of the Amazon rainforest. In an effort to increase production in unexplored areas in spite of opposition from environmental and Indigenous organizations, Brazil auctioned off a number of land and offshore prospective oil sites close to the Amazon River on Tuesday.
In order to elevate our voices, our posture, and our battle, Juan Bay, president of the Waorani people of Ecuador, said that his delegation’s visit to California was crucial. He also asked Californians to reconsider where their crude from the Amazon comes from—Waorani Indigenous territory.
During a kayaking trip near a Chevron refinery in Richmond on Thursday, the Indigenous delegation shared their perspectives on climate issues and stories of the Amazon with local Californians.
Speaking on behalf of the Kichwa Pakkiru, Nadino Calapucha said the trip to the Bay Area of California was extremely poignant. On a kayak, he told The Associated Press that seeing seals in the water and a bird’s nest close by felt like a sign of support from the natural world.
“The animals seemed to be extending a warm welcome to us,” he remarked.
According to Calapucha, there was a clear link between California and the Amazon, both of which are threatened by environmental issues.
“We feel that the struggle is the same because we are here with our brothers and sisters and the local communities are fighting in the end,” he said.
The majority of the refined Amazon oil used as gasoline in California makes it the world’s largest user. The leading producer of onshore crude in the region is Ecuador.
Bay cited a March 2025 decision by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which concluded that Ecuador had allowed oil extraction in and near a location known as Block 43, so violating the rights of the region’s Indigenous tribes.
In addition to upholding the 2023 referendum that forbade drilling in Yasuni National Park, the site of the nation’s largest petroleum deposit, believed to be over 1.7 billion barrels, the court ordered the government to stop extraction in protected regions.
Bay urged the California government to reevaluate whether it should keep importing petroleum from the Amazon or continue to support the rights abuses occurring on Indigenous lands.
The new resolution’s sponsor, State Senator Josh Becker, commended the visiting leaders for protecting their homeland and the environment.
Becker stated on the Senate floor on Monday that their communities are fighting for their rights and against oil extraction on the front lines. They protect a living rainforest that maintains life, stores carbon, and controls the climate.
The refinery, which has processed millions of barrels of Amazon crude and has long been condemned by environmental justice groups, has fueled worries about pollution, public health, and the state’s role in destroying rainforests.
The group also assisted in the release of a new report by Amazon Watch, a non-profit organization located in Oakland that works to conserve the Amazon Basin. The report details the financial, legal, and climate dangers associated with operating in Indigenous territory without permission.
The effects of Amazon crude go well beyond Ecuador, according to Kevin Koenig, director of climate, energy, and extractive industries for Amazon Watch. On Thursday, he went kayaking with the Ecuadorian delegation.
He told AP that the Golden State must act if it hopes to lead the world in climate change. California is addicted to crude from the Amazon.
He continued by saying that Californians must acknowledge their role and culpability in fueling the demand for Amazon crude and the effects it is having on Indigenous people, their rights, biodiversity, and the climate.
The future of California is intimately linked to that of the Amazon. Koenig stated that the state depends on the rainforest’s ability to regulate the climate and provide rainfall, but he cautioned that ongoing imports of Amazon crude fuel are causing the damage and making California more susceptible to wildfires and drought.
He said that the harm caused by oil drilling to the environment and public health is not limited to South America.
Here in California, we’re witnessing the same effects from the oil well to the wheel, with communities experiencing contamination, negative health effects, and contaminated water, he said. California needs to take the lead in the energy transition.
Koenig went on to say that California, one of the biggest economies in the world and a significant importer of Amazon crude, needs to take more aggressive climate action and phase out its dependency on oil that is tied to pollution, deforestation, human rights violations, and climate damage.
The resolution honors Ecuador’s indigenous communities for their efforts to protect their rights and the rainforest.
Additionally, it is the first time California will look into how its energy use might be causing forestry and cultural loss in the area. Koenig anticipates that the resolution will be put to a vote in a few weeks.
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Steven Grattan can be followed on X:@sjgrattan.
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