Chevron Corp. CEO John Watson faces critics

dbaker@sfchronicle.com (David R. Baker)

Posted:  06/01/2012 5:55 AM

Chevron Corp. CEO John Watson faced some of his company's sharpest critics Wednesday during the oil giant's annual shareholders meeting and politely told them they were wrong.

Wrong about Chevron's record on environmental protection. Wrong about the company's impact on the countries where it pumps oil.

And wrong about a high-profile pollution lawsuit in Ecuador that led to an $18 billion judgment against Chevron, a verdict the company continues to fight.

"Whatever we do, we'll do safely or not at all," Watson told Chevron executives, investors and critics packed into a conference room at the company's San Ramon headquarters.

Activists who had come from around the world to confront Watson, however, weren't giving ground.

One castigated Chevron for an explosion in January at a natural gas platform off the coast of Nigeria, a blast that killed two people. Another critic, from Angola, complained about frequent, fish-killing oil spills.

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