i heart bolivia
Posted on | January 27, 2006 | 2 Comments
WATER FIGHT: BOLIVIA vs. BECHTEL
Last week brought an end to one of the greatest water battles in history. The people of Bolivia have successfully reclaimed ownership of their water from the Bechtel Corporation. In 1999, Bechtel made an arrangement with the Bolivian government totake ownership of the water supply and charge citizens for its use. Within weeks of the takeover, Bechtel raised water rates by 50% and made it illegal to gather rainwater without a permit. The ensuing citizen revolt forced Bechtel out of the country. Bechtel then sued Bolivia for $50 million for “profit losses.”But last week, after four years of legal disputes and public pressure, the case was dropped. “This is the first time that a major corporation like Bechtel has had to back down from a major trade case as the result of global citizen pressure,”said Jim Shultz, executive director of The Democracy Center in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Bechtel’s surrender coincides with the election of indigenous populist farm leader, Evo Morales, who has long been a sharp critic of Bechtel and other transnational corporations operating in Bolivia. http://www.organicconsumers.org/Politics/bechtel012006.cfm
Comments
2 Responses to “i heart bolivia”
my other sites
photography groups
sites where I contribute
81 Press
- Taking a Break February 4, 2012Site visitors will probably notice that I haven’t updated here frequently. I am taking a break from my site(s) for at least the summer. I’ve been working in this field for 25 years and I’m burned out on photography and art, the site(s) are in need of major updates/ revamping/ retooling, social media is exhausting, [...] […]
- A New Mission for Aperture? February 4, 2012[…]
- Mambu Badu’s Inaugural Magazine February 4, 2012Danielle was briefly a contributor to this site; I am very excited to hear about her latest venture, the collective and now journal Mambu Badu “that seek to find, expose, and nurture emerging female photographers of African descent.”  Congrats, Danielle! As you may (or may not) know, last fall, I co-founded Mambu Badu, a photography collective […]
January 27th, 2006 @ 12:43 pm
What great news for a Friday!
Hopefully this will be the start of many more victories.
January 27th, 2006 @ 11:39 pm
WOOOO HOOOOO! I ♥ EVO!