ABSTRACT
A presentation of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for a new set of wells that the Andes Petroleum Company proposes to drill in the northeastern corner of the Ecuadorian Amazon has just concluded. One of the wells is sited near the community center and school, as well as several residents’ homes. A woman stands, attempting to appeal to the officials’ humanity rather than their technical expertise. She expresses concern that noise from the drilling will be unbearable, given the proximity of the well to her home. Would the company consider moving the platform or at least agree not to run the drilling equipment at night so that her family might sleep? The company engineer is visibly tired of hearing about the well’s location, which people have raised repeatedly during the question and answer period. He informs her that her comment has been recorded, but that changing the platform location will be an option only if it proves technically feasible because the sites that were selected are “geologically optimal.” The company’s Community Relations Officer steps in, but the
