Neutral Fact-Finding Effects of Oil and Gas Exploration in the Ecuadorian Oriente (1992)

CONCUR Principal Scott McCreary teamed with three colleagues from the University of California at Berkeley to conduct an independent review of ARCO’s oil and gas exploration in the Ecuadorian Oriente. The review, jointly commissioned by proponents and critics of oil exploration, focused initially on the adequacy of the environmental documentation, was quickly broadened to include the full scope of the planning process. The study arose at the suggestion of UC Berkeley faculty, who proposed that an independent review could help bring light to an ongoing disagreement between ARCO and US NGOs about the extent and severity of environmental impacts. Sponsoring organizations included ARCO International Oil and Gas Company (AIOGC), AIOGC Safety, Health and Environmental Protection, ARCO Oriente, Organization de Pueblos Indigenas de Pastaza (OPIP), the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), and Oxfam International. In addition to evaluating the effectiveness of the environmental planning and impact assessment process to date, the group was also asked to recommend strategies to improve the quality of environmental decision-making in the region.

Dr. McCreary served as the lead author of the team’s final report “Independent Review of Environmental Documentation for Petroleum Exploration in Block 10, Oriente, Ecuador“, published under the auspices of the Center for Environmental Design Research, UC Berkeley, and co-authored by Professors. G. Matthias Kondolf, Robert Twiss, and Joseph McBride. The review included a series of findings and recommendations, and was presented in an interactive session with indigenous leaders and representatives of ARCO at UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design. Dr. McCreary later wrote an article reflecting on this experience “Independent Fact-Finding as a Catalyst for Cross-Cultural Dialogue: Assessing Impacts of Oil and Gas Development in Ecuador’s Oriente Region“, which was published in Cultural Survival Quarterly and is available as CONCUR Reprint 95-01.