RICHMOND, California (AP) 鈥� An oil tanker sat docked at Chevron鈥檚 sprawling refinery in Richmond on Thursday 鈥� a visible link between California鈥檚 appetite for Amazon crude and the remote rainforest territories where it鈥檚 extracted. Just offshore, bundled in puffy jackets against the Bay wind, from Ecuador鈥檚 Amazon paddled kayaks through choppy waters, calling attention to the oil expansion threatening their lands.
Their visit to California helped prompt the state Senate to introduce a landmark resolution urging officials to examine the state鈥檚 role in importing The move comes as Ecuador鈥檚 government prepares to auction off 14 new oil blocks 鈥� covering more than 2 million hectares of rainforest, much of it Indigenous territory 鈥� in a 2026 bidding round known as 鈥淪ur Oriente.鈥�
The Indigenous leaders say the move goes against the spirit of a national referendum in which Ecuadorians voted to leave crude oil permanently underground in Yasuni National Park.
The preservation push in Ecuador comes as another South American country that includes part of the Amazon rainforest, Brazil, is moving ahead with plans to further develop oil resources. On Tuesday, auctioned off several land and offshore potential oil sites near the as it aims to expand production in untapped regions despite .
Indigenous voices
Juan Bay, president of the Waorani people of Ecuador, said that his delegation's coming to California was 鈥渋mportant so that our voices, our stance, and our struggle can be elevated鈥� and urged Californians to reexamine the source of their crude from the Amazon 鈥� 鈥漟rom Waorani Indigenous territory."
On Thursday, the Indigenous delegation joined local Californians in Richmond for a kayaking trip near a Chevron refinery, sharing stories about the Amazon and perspectives on climate threats.
For Nadino Calapucha, a spokesperson for the Kichwa Pakkiru people, the visit to California鈥檚 Bay Area was deeply moving. Spotting seals in the water and a bird鈥檚 nest nearby felt 篓like a gesture of solidarity from nature itself," he told The Associated Press on a kayak.
鈥淚t was as if the animals were welcoming us,鈥� he said.
The connection between the Amazon and California 鈥� both facing environmental threats 鈥� was palpable, Calapucha said.
鈥淏eing here with our brothers and sisters, with the local communities also fighting 鈥� in the end, we feel that the struggle is the same,鈥� he said.
California is the largest global consumer of Amazon oil, with much of it refined and used in the state as fuel. Ecuador is the region鈥檚 top producer of onshore crude.
Bay highlighted a March 2025 ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which found that Ecuador had violated the rights of the area's Indigenous groups by allowing oil operations in and around a site known as Block 43.
The court ordered the government to halt extraction in protected areas and uphold the 2023 referendum banning drilling in Yasuni National Park, where the country's largest crude reserve lies, estimated at around 1.7 billion barrels.
Bay appealed to the California government to reconsider if it 鈥渟hould continue receiving crude from the Amazon鈥� 鈥� or continue to be "complicit in the violation of rights" happening on Indigenous territory.
Defending Indigenous rights
State Senator Josh Becker, who introduced the new resolution, praised the visiting leaders for defending both their land and the global climate.
鈥淭heir communities are on the front lines asserting their rights and resisting oil extraction," Becker said on the Senate floor on Monday. 鈥淭hey are defenders of a living rainforest that stores carbon, regulates the global climate, and sustains life.鈥�
Long criticized by environmental justice advocates, the refinery has processed millions of barrels of Amazon crude, fueling concerns over pollution, public health, and the state鈥檚 role in rainforest destruction.
The delegation also helped launch a new report by , an Oakland-based non-profit dedicated to the protection of the Amazon Basin, which outlines the climate, legal and financial risks of operating in Indigenous territories without consent.
鈥楢ddiction to Amazon crude鈥�
Kevin Koenig, Amazon Watch鈥檚 director for climate, energy and extraction industry, said the impacts of Amazon crude extend far beyond Ecuador. He joined the Ecuadorian delegation on the kayaking trip on Thursday.
鈥淭he Golden State, if it wants to be a climate leader, needs to take action," he told AP. 鈥淐alifornia has an addiction to Amazon crude.鈥�
Californians need to "recognize their responsibility and their complicity in driving demand for Amazon crude and the impact that that is having on Indigenous people, on their rights, on the biodiversity and the climate,鈥� he added.
California鈥檚 future is closely tied to the Amazon鈥檚 鈥� the state relies on the rainforest鈥檚 role in climate regulation and rainfall, Koenig said, warning that continued Amazon crude imports contribute to the very destruction increasing California鈥檚 vulnerability to drought and wildfires.
He said environmental and public health damage tied to oil drilling is not confined to South America.
鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing the same impacts from the oil well to the wheel here in California, where communities are suffering from contamination, health impacts, dirty water,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 time that California lead an energy transition."
California, one of the world鈥檚 largest economies and a major importer of Amazon crude, must take stronger climate action, Koenig added and called on the state to phase out its reliance on oil linked to deforestation, human rights abuses, pollution, and climate damage.
The resolution commends the Indigenous communities of Ecuador for their struggle in defending the rainforest and Indigenous rights.
It also marks the first time California would examine how its energy consumption may contribute to the region鈥檚 deforestation and cultural loss. The resolution is expected to be up for a vote within a few weeks, according to Koenig.
___
Follow Steven Grattan on X:
___
The Associated Press鈥� climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP鈥檚 for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at .
Steven Grattan And Godofredo Vasquez, The Associated Press
