Ecuador's oil drilling in the Yasuni National Park is supported by roads it calls "trails", as it pushes indigenous people off their land. To cover up the truth, it restricts access by journalists.

I would not criticize Ecuador for starting the planning to exploit the area before formally announcing failure of its plan to permanently protect the area. That plan depended on donations from wealthier countries, and it was already clear that the funds requested were not forthcoming. Its failure was not Ecuador's fault.

However, it appears that Ecuador treated this as more than a contingency plan.

Meanwhile, Chevron, which is grasping at even imaginary straws to get out of its judgment for pollution in Ecuador, is twisting the RICO law to claim that any criticism of Chevron is "racketeering".