When a dam developer claims that 97% of the people it surveyed are satisfied with their compensation, take it with a large grain of salt. Back in November 2008, International Rivers hired a consultant to visit the site of the Xiaoxi Dam on the Zishui River in China. Our researcher documented a long series of problems, including the forced eviction of 7,500 people, the failure to restore pre-eviction incomes, arbitrary and inadequate compensation for displaced villagers, no legal recourse for those suffering losses, and a biased Environmental Impact Assessment process. Adding insult to injury, the dam received carbon offsets that would allow German company RWE, located 7,500 kilometers away, to build more dirty coal plants in Europe.