My title is loosely quoted from the documentary Black Wave that showed last night at the Bear Tooth Theatre Pub in Anchorage, AK. I believe it's the photos and videos that jolt us from our keyboards and couches and remind us why we must remain vigilant.
Today is the 20 year anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Twenty years. You'd think it was "over" by now. You'd be wrong.
An important part of the oil has been blasted with pressurized hot water under the surface sands. Birds, fish, mammals will eat contaminated food for years to come. Certain species, like herring, will never recover, creating a permanent economic crisis for the fishermen of the Sound. And as bankruptcies begin, a wave of social problems like alcohol, divorce and even suicide engulfs small towns all over the Sound.
Sleepy Bay, Latouche Island, Prince William Sound, Alaska, 2004:
Above is oil from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, lingering just below the surface in Prince William Sound - yes, this photo was taken in 2004. I was in Valdez in 1999, and I kicked into the dirt a few times and produced an oil slick on my boot. Friends had told me it was possible, but nonetheless, seeing it really upset me.
One banner reads: Alaskans still fight for the earth.
Valdez, Trans-Alaska Pipeline Terminal, Port Valdez, Prince William Sound, Alaska. September 9, 1989. by Ted Raynor
by Ted Raynor
The photo shows the trajectory of the Exxon Valdez oil spill catastrophe in Alaska, 1989
Protest in Anchorage, 1990
Consequences? Not really.
Exxon profits last year made it the most profitable corporation in the history of mankind. And the Supreme Court handed them a big break, too!
From ADN:
The checks won't be anything like the blockbuster payments many hoped for after a federal jury awarded them $5 billion -- an amount the U.S. Supreme Court this summer cut by 90 percent.
Still, dozens of fishermen can expect checks for more than $100,000. And a few will range up to around $400,000.
Sam & Linden O'Toole, Fishermen
"We secured a permit for three hundred thousand dollars in February. Then the oil spill happened in March."
"There's absolutely been no deterrent put forth for it not to happen again in the future," said Kevin O'Toole.
His wife, Linden, agreed, saying "we just want to move on with our lives. We've waited 19 years to have closure. We do not have justice. But we do have closure so we can move on," she said.
Cordova reacts to the decision of the Supreme Court in 2008 to reduce Exxon's penalty by 90%.
Alternative energy is the obvious answer.
I'm so grateful Obama gets it. I want to know, Kossaks -- how are you making progress? Who's making changes?