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Last week, the Brazilian Federal Audit Court approved an oil auction that covers parts of the pre-salt zone offshore Brazil that was involved in a long dispute between the Brazilian government and Petrobras. The Brazilian pre-salt oil region consist of carbonates found below the salt layer.  It’s oil-rich offshore reserve that is trapped below 2,000 meters of a thick layer of salt, where this layer of salt was deposited on accumulated organic matter, holding it for millions of years until thermochemical processes turned the organic layers into hydrocarbons (oil and natural gas).

Ecuador’s government was forced out of the capital, Quito, by violent protests earlier this week. The country is already in an uneasy state with the vulnerable economy that has been battered by lack of public transportation and blocked roads. These violent protests stem from President Moreno’s decision to cut subsidies which led to an extremely sharp increase in gas prices. Gas prices in Ecuador have increased up to 120%.  Due to these protests, the state-owned energy company Petroamazonas was forced to stop production after the fields were taken over by people not affiliated with the organization. The government has also deployed the army to key locations to safeguard the nation’s resources.

What Happened

For those of you who may not remember, in 2015 auto giant Volkswagen AG was found guilty of intentionally installing sensors to “cheat” or “pass” the Clean Air Act emissions tests. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports, complicit companies had to pay settlement monies out of over 10 billion dollars. Those dollars went in two directions, the first went to pay to remove all of the non-compliant from the road and the second went to produce green alternatives.

Over the weekend there was a sizable oil spill off Guarello Island near Chile. The 40,000 liter spill was reported to the Chilean Navy on Saturday, July 27^th by the Chilean mining company, CAP. The navy dispatched a pollution response and control team immediately in attempt to contain the spill.  By the next day, they reported that about 15,000 liters of contaminated water had been contained.