Red light to starboard: recalling the Exxon Valdez disaster

Title Red light to starboard: recalling the Exxon Valdez disaster
Other Title Redlight to starboard
Names Day, Angela.
Book Number DBC19123
Title Status Active
Medium Digital Books
Download Link Downloadable talking book.
Annotation On March 24, 1989, the tanker Exxon Valdez went off course, ran aground, and spilled 10.8 gallons of crude oil in the rich fisheries of Prince William Sound. This book describes the effect of the spill on the local population and the environment as well as on the subsequent hearings and court trials. Adult. Unrated.
General Notes Available from BARD courtesy of the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library.
Local Notes 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 ... The state of Alaska represents you. And we want to be sure that ... people who are damaged by this, get compensated fairy and quickly." He also indicated that the state would see to it Prince William Sound was cleaned up, regardless of the cost. 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 also struggled with feelings of betrayal and guilt and later, a divided community. His intimate portrayal lends a local perspective and provides an insider's look at commercial fishing. 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 story that stunned the world, recounting regional and national events. The compelling narrative explains how an industry often seen as greedy came to be entrusted with a spectacular, fragile ecosystem, and discusses the governmental and public policy decisions that contributed to the disaster, as well as personal and environmental consequences. It also follows policy steps taken since the spill and through opportunities for citizen input and oversight, offers hope for preventing future disasters.
Narrator Godfrey, Debra.
Length 11 hours, 5 minutes
Local Subject Environmentalism and conservation - SC12
Oceanography - SC14
Biology - SC6
Science and technology - SC
Northwest history - NW8
Northwest nonfiction - NW2
Produced at WTBBL - PAW
Adult book - AD
Nonfiction - NF
Award winners - AW
Nature and the environment - SC13
U.S. History - HI1
LC Subject Oil spills - Alaska - Prince William Sound Region
Tankers - Accidents - Alaska - Prince William Sound Region
Nonfiction
Audience Notes A NLS/BPH
Call Number 363.7382097983 ANF
Language English
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.
Released 2014
Publication Info Seattle : WSU, Washington State University Press 2014
Original Publication Recorded from: Pullman, Washington : WSU, Washington State University Press, 2014. 9780874223187
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