The government have made a mess of the area of Argentina, where the Indigenous Mapuche people have lived for centuries. Fracking in this area has been going on for over a decade and it shows. The landscape and water table are blighted with oil fracking activity waste dumps. It could have been so much better. Done right, the local people could still have had their pastures, minus the fenced in oil wells. The waste from the fracking should have been processed in a chemical plant instead of being dumped in pits in the ground. That way the compromise is that the land is safe for the people, the government makes some money and the oil companies get a return on their investment. Instead, the land is contaminated, the government isn't making any money and only the oil companies are happy.

Bad Deal All Round

On the face of it you might think to blame the oil companies. And they are to blame in as much as they got the best deal they could. Blame really lies with incompetent ill-informed greedy government. They did not negotiate the additional cost involved in disposing the waste properly. I'm sure at the time of the deal, they all congratulated themselves on the fantastic job they had all done. That everyone was going to be a winner. The current government has it's hands tied with contracts agreed when the deal was done under previous administrations.

It's a Mess

It's only 10 or 15 years ago that this all started. When they were negotiating the terms of the deal with the oil companies, how many other examples around the world could they have looked at for guidance. They made a figurative mess of it and now they have a literal mess!

About The Author
Francisco Martinez
Chewells Contributor

Although he doesn't live in South America, his heritage is from there. He is passionate about the... »

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