Red light to starboard : recalling the Exxon Valdez disaster / Angela Day.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Day, Angela, 1971- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Oil spills--Alaska--Prince William Sound Region.

Oil spills.

Exxon Valdez (Ship).

Tankers--Accidents--Alaska--Prince William Sound Region.

Tankers.

Tankers--Accidents.

Alaska--Prince William Sound Region.

Local Subjects:

Exxon Valdez (Ship).

Physical Description:

xii, 265 pages : illustrations, map ; 23 cm

Other Title:

Redlight to starboard

Place of Publication:

Pullman, Washington : WSU Press, [2014]

Summary:

Minutes before supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef, before rocks ripped a huge hole in her hull and a geyser of crude oil darkened the pristine waters of Prince William Sound, the ship's lookout burst through the chart room door. "That light, sir, it's still on the starboard side. It should be to port, sir." Her frantic words were merely the last in a litany of futile warnings. A parade of promises began the next day. Exxon Shipping Company president Frank Iarossi declared, "If it is a claim that is associated with the spill, we've assumed full financial responsibility." A week later, Alaska Governor Steve Cowper spoke at the Valdez Civic Center. "We don't want anybody to think that they have to hire a lawyer and go into federal court and sue the largest corporation in America." Eight days after the disaster, Valdez native Bobby Day flew over the spill and knew his life as a herring fisherman-a population that would be decimated by the spill-was shattered. He struggled with feelings of betrayal and guilt, and later weathered the tensions of a divided community. His intimate portrayal lends a local perspective and conveys the damage inflicted upon individuals and the fishing industry. Lengthy investigations revealed cover-ups, covert operations, reckless corporate management, numerous safety violations, and a broken regulatory process. At the time of the spill, oil flowed through the Alyeska pipeline at a profit of $400,000 per hour. Yet in the end, the ten thousand fishermen affected by the spill spent nearly twenty years in litigation and received little compensation for their losses. Despite a massive cleanup effort, oil remains on the beaches and continues to impact marine life. Red Light to Starboard documents a disaster that stunned the world, recounting regional and national history, and explains how oil titans came to be entrusted with a spectacular, The book discusses the environmental consequences as well as ineffective governmental and public policy decisions. It tracks responses to these failures that, through opportunities for citizen input and oversight, offer hope for the future. Book jacket.

Contents:

Red, right returning

Hard aground

"We're going to be here for a while"

According to plan

Irreconcilable views

Silver on a line

Siege at Sawmill Bay

You have my word on that

Hang on, we're going around a curve

Fortune seekers

We can have our cake and eat it too

Relying on assurances

The heart of the sound

The fall of strict liability

Deception

The voice of the sound

Disappearing act

Blockade

Reckless decision.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780874223187

0874223180

OCLC:

862962308