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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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time
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040389
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04038900.002
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1990-09-22
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ENVIRONMENT, Page 63The Biggest Spill in U.S. HistoryA tanker hits an Alaskan reef, leaving an eight-mile oil slick
It was the kind of ecological disaster that environmentalists
had been warning about since oil first began flowing from Alaska's
North Slope twelve years ago. And eerily, it struck last week, on
the very day that the 3,100 residents of Valdez had planned to
commemorate the 25th anniversary of another disaster: the great
Alaska earthquake of 1964, which sent a towering tidal wave
smashing into Valdez, killing 131 people. After taking on 1.2
million bbl. of crude at the Valdez terminal, the southern end of
the 800-mile Trans-Alaska Pipeline, the 987-ft. tanker Exxon Valdez
headed out through Prince William Sound. Maneuvering to avoid
icebergs, the tanker rammed into an underwater shoal called Bligh
Reef. The vessel's side split open and thick North Slope crude
spewed into one of the most pristine bodies of water in the U.S.
The threat to local marine life quickly became apparent. As
oil gushed out at the rate of 20,000 gal. an hour, emergency teams
found ducks coated with crude and sea lions with flippers drenched
in oil clinging to a buoy near the wreck. By the time the leak had
slowed to a dribble a day later, an estimated 270,000 bbl. of oil
had escaped, producing a slick 8 miles long and 4 miles wide. It
appeared to be the largest spill, if not the worst in terms of
ecological damage, in U.S. history.
The mishap could not have happened at a worse time. Besides
being rich in whales, otters, seals, porpoises, dolphins and many
species of birds, the waters around Valdez also contain some of the
best commercial fishing grounds in Alaska. The harvest that was to
begin this week, when fish such as herring and pink salmon start
their annual springtime runs, could be endangered.
How the Exxon Valdez ran aground is a mystery. The accident
occurred in extremely calm waters, and the captain, Joe Hazlewood,
had been plying the area for a dozen years. Frank Iarossi,
president of Exxon Shipping Co., said the tanker was a mile off
course even though its navigational systems were working. Dan Lawn,
spokesman for the Alaska department of environmental conservation,
said the captain's effort to steer the Exxon Valdez back into the
narrow shipping lane was like "trying to park a Cadillac in a
Volkswagen spot."
Emergency crews placed booms in the sound to contain the spill,
and the Coast Guard dropped chemicals in an attempt to break up the
slick. But local officials criticized Exxon and pipeline officials
for responding slowly. Doug Griffin, city manager of Valdez, said
the first teams to arrive waited for a leader to show up and take
charge.
Aside from the damage to marine life, the spill seemed certain
to have an impact in another area. Environmentalists will use the
accident as ammunition in their fight against further oil
development in Alaska, particularly U.S. plans to permit drilling
in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.