Amazon Watch today blasted San Francisco consultant Sam Singer for letting himself be used by Chevron to wage a personal and unsubstantiated attack on two renowned Ecuadorian environmental activists in town to receive the Goldman Prize.

"Sam Singer should be ashamed of himself for helping Chevron do its dirty work against two environmental heroes who are trying to hold the company accountable for its blatant legal violations in Ecuador," said Atossa Soltani, Amazon Watch Executive Director.

Pablo Fajardo and Luis Yanza, have been leading a landmark environmental lawsuit in Ecuador to force Chevron to clean up 18 billion gallons of toxic waste it dumped in the Amazon rainforest. The pair are being honored today in Washington at a Goldman Prize ceremony at the National Geographic Society. With the other prize-winners, they are slated to have lunch with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday.

Chevron announced over the weekend that it had hired Singer, who fashions himself an expert in crisis communication, to deal with the growing Ecuador controversy. Earlier this month, an independent court-appointed expert found Chevron was responsible for extensive toxic contamination and might have to pay up to $16 billion in damages.

Chevron has launched a series of attacks that claimed Fajardo and Yanza were trying to scam the company. Yesterday, Chevron bought a full-page attack ad in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Fajardo, an internationally-renowned lawyer who grew up in abject poverty cleaning oil spills as a child, was recognized as a CNN "Hero" last year and was featured in a positive 15,000-word article in Vanity Fair.

Fajardo and Yanza have received death threats in Ecuador during their work on the case, and the brother of Fajardo was murdered in 2004 in what observers think may have been a case of mistaken identity.

Mr. Singer's corporate and non-profit clients have included the Alameda Alliance for Health, BART, the San Francisco 49ers, and Sony. On the website of his company, Singer claims expertise at handling corporate crises including "layoffs, bankruptcy, or an explosion at a factory."

Organization name: Amzon Watch
Country: USA