Posted on 02/23/2003 1:10:54 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
MARACAIBO, Venezuela -- Under the scorching sun on Lake Maracaibo, oil wells by the thousands suck up natural gas and crude oil, the wealth of Venezuela, for home use and for export.
But much more crude than usual has been ending up in the water since oil workers joined a national strike against President Hugo Chavez in December, environmentalists and government critics contend.
Although the walkout against Chavez has fizzled, many oil workers remain off the job, and the critics say the shortage of employees and lack of know-how among those who are working is causing environmental damage.
The state-owned oil monopoly, Petróleos de Venezuela SA, or PDVSA, denies that. It insists spills are small and rare and that they are quickly controlled. It also blames many of the spills on striker sabotage.
The situation is difficult to check independently. The oil fields have been sealed off by army and national guard troops who enforce a no-fly zone over the lake and turn back boats carrying journalists trying to get a look.
"They won't let us overfly the lake to look for oil slicks anymore," said Eddie Ramirez, a former executive for the oil monopoly. "It's all militarized now. We still have people working in the oil fields who give us information. But it is getting harder to get."
Norberto Robodello, who directs the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources' environmental quality program, complains there are areas even his ministry isn't allowed to see.
Crude is critical in Venezuela, the world's fifth-largest exporter and a major supplier to the United States. Lake Maracaibo, 325 miles west of Caracas, is a major producer.
Since World War I, about 14,000 wells have been drilled in the lake. About 8,000 are active. Estimates vary, but between 15,000 and 28,000 miles of pipes and tubes snake along the bottom.
"There is no operation in the world like this," said Felix Rodriguez, recently named by Chavez's government to head oil operations in western Venezuela.
Oil operations are spread over 60 percent of the lake's 5,200 square miles. Latticed derricks poke skyward from platforms. Black pumping units bob up and down relentlessly.
During a boat trip supervised by oil monopoly officials, a reporter was shown purported sabotage at an electrical platform that powered 24 wells. Heavy cables appeared to have been cut in several places.
About 35,000 of the monopoly's 40,000 employees went on strike Dec. 2, joining the opposition general strike aimed at forcing out Chavez, whom they blame for the country's strife.
The general strike failed, but the oil walkout continues. Chavez has fired more than 11,000 oil strikers and split the oil monopoly into eastern and western divisions to tighten government control over operations.
Production is approaching pre-strike levels. But the government claims it's slowed by sabotage.
The private Venezuelan Environmental Foundation said it flew over the lake on Dec. 11 and spotted 17 spills.
Rodriguez acknowledged there is government pressure to increase production.
"We need the money," he said. "But we do it with safety. We are working to diminish the risk. If we aren't sure, we won't open a well."
Figures compiled by Zulia State's Maracaibo Lake Commission show that before the strike there had been a steady drop in spills in recent years -- to a rate of about four barrels for every million produced in the lake. Now the rate is equal to 40 barrels per million, the panel says.
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