An ear-splitting boom rips through the tropical stillness, a pipeline shudders and cracks and 410,000 gallons of oil rush into rivers, mangrove swamps and the Pacific Ocean, asphyxiating amphibians and fish, and leaving 160,000 people in the southern Colombian state of Nariño without potable water. The bombing June 21 of Colombia’s 300-kilometer (186-mile) Transandino pipeline marked the 38th attack on oil pipelines this year by leftist rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) or the National Liberation Army (ELN). It generated a swift response from government and environmental leaders who said it threatened the livelihoods of thousands of fishermen and could cause damage to area flora and fauna that could take decades to heal. “This is the nation’s worst environmental... [Log in to read more]