Indigenous groups in Ecuador and Peru fight cross-border oil deal, urge California to end crude imports
The Norperuvian Pipeline has been plagued for decades of frequent oil spills.
By Ricardo Pérez
Indigenous nations from Ecuador and Peru have issued a strong rejection of a recently announced agreement between state-owned oil companies Petroperú and Petroecuador to connect Ecuador’s southern Amazon oil blocks to the Norperuvian Pipeline.
Leaders denounced the deal – unveiled by Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on July 28 – as a blatant violation of national and international laws guaranteeing their right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent.
The planned interconnection would revive the long-failed “Ronda Suroriente” oil expansion in Ecuador’s Amazon and increase crude volumes through the Norperuvian Pipeline, a system plagued by decades of costly oil spills that have polluted rivers, destroyed ecosystems, and harmed Indigenous communities.
California’s role as a driving force
Indigenous leaders warn that this cross-border oil plan is being driven in part by the steady demand from California’s refineries, which remain the largest U.S. importers of Amazon crude – particularly from Ecuador.
Data shows that California refineries process hundreds of millions of barrels of Amazon oil annually, linking the state’s fuel consumption directly to deforestation, climate emissions, and human rights violations in one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth.
“This deal has no consent, no legitimacy, and will face legal and social resistance every step of the way,” reads the joint statement. “California’s continued demand for Amazon crude fuels projects like this and makes the state complicit in the destruction of our lands.”
Legal, financial, and climate risks
Signatory nations – including the Binational Achuar Coordination of Ecuador and Peru (Cobnaep), the Sápara Nation of Ecuador (NASE), the Shiwiar Nation of Ecuador (NASHIE), the Kichwa Runakuna of Pastaza (PAKKIRU), the Autonomous Territorial Government of the Wampís Nation, and the Chapra Nation – stress that the deal exposes companies and banks to serious legal, financial, and reputational risks. International agreements such as ILO Convention 169 and the American Convention on Human Rights require FPIC for projects affecting Indigenous territories.
The leaders also note that this announcement comes just weeks before the Amazon Summit of Presidents and meetings of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), where governments should be advancing protections for the Amazon – not new extractive projects.
“Decades of strong Indigenous resistance against fossil fuels in Ecuador and Peru have successfully expelled oil companies and shut down destructive expansion plans. Funding drilling of more Amazon crude is a dead end for investments and will result in unfulfilled promises of profit,” said Mary Mijares, Corporate Campaigns Manager at Amazon Watch.
“A recent delegation of Indigenous leaders from Ecuador inspired the California Senate to introduce a landmark resolution calling for an official review of the state’s Amazon crude imports and urging an end to its complicity in deforestation and Indigenous rights violations. With a full Senate vote expected soon, any expansion of oil drilling in Ecuador now stands in direct opposition to global efforts to move away from fossil fuels,” said Kevin Koenig, Climate and Energy Director at Amazon Watch.
In response, the Indigenous nations have declared an international alert and will convene a press conference to announce legal, social, and diplomatic actions to defend their right to withhold consent. These will include outreach to policymakers, financial institutions, and the public in California to demand an immediate phase-out of Amazon crude imports.
“California can no longer claim climate leadership while powering its cars and industries with oil from the Amazon,” the statement concludes. “Ending these imports is a critical step to protecting our peoples, our rivers, and the planet.”
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Credit: Amazon Watch
