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CRUDE ASSEMBLAGES: HARM FROM OIL OPERATIONS IN THE ECUADORIAN AMAZON Amelia Morel Fiske A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Anthropology. Chapel Hill 2016 Approved by: Margaret Wiener Peter Redfield Rudi Colloredo-Mansfeld Barry Saunders Michele Rivkin-Fish © 2016 Amelia Morel Fiske ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Amelia Morel Fiske: Crude Assemblages: Harm from Oil Operations in the Ecuadorian Amazon (Under the direction of Margaret Wiener) The Ecuadorian Amazon has been the site of intensive oil operations for the past 40 years, resulting in widespread contamination of the environment and health problems for the local population. Concerns about harm from oil have gathered a multiplicity of actors in this region invested in documenting oil’s effects. Scientists and other researchers have sought to establish the relationship between oil contamination, chronic and acute disease, and environmental damage in this area. Despite decades of investigations, however, what counts as evidence of harm remains disputed and consensus has not been reached on the consequences of oil operations for those living in their vicinity. This dissertation demonstrates that what we call ‘harm’ from oil emerges and is given form in a highly contested terrain, and tracks how the experiences of those closest to pollution are written out of legal evidence and scientific studies. Drawing on 24 months of ethnographic field research in the Sucumbíos and Orellana provinces of Ecuador, I examine the ways that a lawsuit and scientific studies – in conjunction with regulatory practices, artistic representations, environmental activism, political campaigns, industry archives, and my own ethnographic research and writing – constitute moments of intervention in which different actors work to establish, account for, or discount harm (daño) from oil. I show how harm is made to matter through such interventions, and demonstrate how iii these practices are embedded in histories of inequality and hierarchies of knowledge production. Defining what counts as harm in light of contemporary oil extraction involves high stakes for all concerned; my dissertation argues for prevention and remediation in despite uncertain knowledge. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research was made possible by a number of sources, including the Social Science Research Council, Wenner-Gren Foundation, National Science Foundation, UNC Graduate School, UNC Institute for Study of the Americas (Mellon Dissertation Fellowship for Latin American Research, Foreign Language Area Studies Fellowship, Tinker Pre-Dissertation Research Grant), Mitchell Institute, and Bowdoin College. In Ecuador I am grateful for the time and generosity of many people who made this project possible. There are far too many individuals than will fit in the space here; in what follows I can only offer a gesture of my appreciation. Kati and Sebastián Alvarez fed me habas y choclo and took me under their roof whenever I was in Quito. Donald Moncayo let me to follow along as he did his work; his unyielding compromiso to making his home a better place for Leonela and generations to come left an indelible mark on me. Mitch Anderson’s acute vision helped me to find the myth in truth and the truth in myth in the history of the Amazon. From listening to Silvio Rodriguez over winding jungle roads to maitos in the fading heat of the day, time with Mitch, Donald and collaborators mark some of my dearest memories of life in Lago. Jorge Mideros spent countless hours answering my questions; thank you for your work remediating contaminated places. Luis Arias delighted me with stories of earlier years and invited me to many an encebollado. Likewise, Shaila Carvajal’s nimble fingers and lovely voice allowed me to imagine life in Lago Agrio in years prior. Mariana Jimenez was patient with my v inquiries and generous with her time; thank you for sharing parts of your life with me. Manuel Pallares’ discerning vision inspired new branches of inquiry growing out of this research. I would like to acknowledge the people at the Frente de Defensa de la Amazonía and thank them for their inclusion of me in their work: Ermel Chavez, Alba Gonzaga, Liber Macias, Juan Espejo, Luis Yanza, Maximo Gonzaga, Wilmer Meneses, Manuel Zambrano, and many more. In particular, Pablo Fajardo took time to assist me in various parts of this project, despite his busy schedule. Whether along the cool of the Aguarico on a Saturday afternoon or sharing stories over a pilsner, I am grateful for the friends who helped make Lago Agrio home over the course of two years: Beatriz Romero, Alfredo López, Luz Arpi, Esteban Salazar, Elizabeth Bastidias, Diego Róman, Alfredo Quiroga, Arturo Quiroga, Nicoletta Roccabianca, Andrea Cianferoni, as well as friends in Quito, in particular, Alex Báez, Marie-Pierre Smets, Maria Belén Tayupanta and family, and Lindsay Ofrias. Both in Ecuador and the United States, I am grateful to Robert Wasserstrom for his attention to historical specificity and help at many points throughout this research. At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill my debts are equally large. I have been fortunate to work with superb faculty members in the Anthropology Department, as well as in Geography, Literature, and the Institute for the Study of the Americas. Michele Rivkin-Fish’s attention to health and social justice has shaped the direction of this text. Rudi Colloredo- Mansfeld always found a way to see things in a positive light, helping me to think extraction beyond Ecuador. Thank you to Barry Saunders for his careful reading, gentle critique, and intellectual generosity. I am grateful for Peter Redfield’s pragmatism. His appreciation for scholarly lineages and keen insights as a reader has challenged my thinking, while reminding me vi not to take anthropology too seriously. Above all, Margaret Wiener has shaped the direction of this project since the beginning and helped me to see it through. Her meticulous reading has pushed me to write more clearly and concisely. I remain grateful for her careful interpretation of theory and intellectual encouragement, which have given me bearing over the years. Through classes and writing groups, many colleagues and friends have made this passage a more enjoyable journey: Taylor Livingston, Kelly Houck, Laura Wagner, Caela O’Connell, Cassandra Hartblay, Diana Gómez, Dayuma Albán, Marwa Yousif, Hyun-joo Mo, Mike Dimfl, Chris Courtheyn, Ben Rubin, Vincent Joos, and Paul Schissel. Paolo Bocci suffered through many drafts, at times offering a much-needed distraction of timbales. Saydia Gulrukh shared the burden when writing became too heavy. Dragana Lassiter, my writing partner, has been my companion and accomplice throughout graduate school. She, as well as Michael, Jana, and Sava, have opened their home to me, helped me to find the breeze in life, and continue to remind me how thankful I am to have had this time together. My family and friends have been continuously supportive throughout this process. Mindy Newman’s intuition keeps me on track. Katinka Hakuta lent her sharp eyes to many a grant proposal. Becca Ely and Eliza Hutchinson’s energy never fails to motivate. Brittany Peats offered a good dose of reason when needed. Lucy and the Sommo sisters make Appleton home. Carson Fiske, along with Becky, Zachary, and Ainsley, have all been there from the beginning, prodding me with questions to help me move towards finishing. Elizabeth Donnelly and Joseph Sheehan lifted my spirits from afar. Andrea Ricci sent along a much-needed Pocket Coffee to get me through the final summer of writing; I couldn’t be happier to plot life post-school together. My parents, Patty Sheehan and Richard Fiske, have enthusiastically supported me throughout this and many other endeavors, for which I am forever thankful. Finally, although she never vii would have approved of travelling so far away from home, Marguerite Sheehan’s love is still felt today. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES……..……………………………………………………………………….xii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS….………………….……………………………………….……xiv INTRODUCTION…….…………………………………………………………………………..1 Memo: Suppose I told you to go into a forest and find something………………………..1 What is harm?......................................................................................................................5 The field……………………………………………………………….............................10 Extractive histories……………………………………………………………….............15 Aguinda v. Texaco…………………………………….………………………….............23 Un par de chozas: Sucumbíos and Orellana……………………………………………..27 Chapter Overview………………………………………………………………………..31 AN INTRODUCTION TO OIL OPERATIONS ………………………………………………..36 CHAPTER 1: MEMOIR OF AN OIL WELL: SETTLEMENT AND INDUSTRY ALONG THE AGUARICO………………………………………………..…….............48 A spot on the Aguarico…………………………………………………………………..48 Texaco arrives: AG4……………………………………………………………………..54 Drilling a well……………………………………………………………………………62 The arrival of the settlers………………………………………………………………...69 Lago Agrio grows………………………………………………………………………..79 Not even a pig left as a witness…………………………………………………………..85 ix Lago Agrio today………………………………………………………………………...92 CHAPTER 2: DESNUDA FRENTE A LA CONTAMINACION: TOXIC EXPOSURE IN THE AMAZON……………………………………………………………................95 Desnuda frente a la contaminación……………………………………………………...95 Toxic Relations…………………………………………………………………………..99 Exposure science……………………………………………………………………….103
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