Exxon Valdez
On March 24, 1989 at 4 minutes past midnight, the oil tanker ExxonValdez struck a reef in Alaska's breath-taking Prince William Sound. Instantaneously, the quiet waters of the sound became a sea of black. "We've fetched up - ah - hard aground north of Goose Island off Bligh Reef, and - ah - evidently leaking some oil," Joseph Hazelwood, captain of the ship, radioed the Coast Guard Marine Safety Office back in Valdez. That "some oil" turned out to be a total of 11,000,000 gallons of crude oil leaking from the ruptured hull of the ship. By the time a containment effort was put forth, a weather storm had helped to spread the oil as much as three feet thick across 1,400 miles of beaches.A little over ten years have passed since the largest oil spill and the greatest environmental disaster in American history, but the waters and its surroundings are still recovering. At first, many people repeated what was then thought as common knowledge, "oil dissipates, nature heals quickly, all will be well in a year or two." This has not been the case with the Exxon Valdez. This massive 987-foot tanker has left a lingering, long-term effect on the natural habitat that surrounds these pristine waters, along with an enormous
Many of the people that used these waters as a source of income have not been able to cope with the scarce catches, thus forcing more and more people to apply for unemployment and other welfare system benefits. A study completed by Steven Picou, a sociologist from the University of South Alabama, has also shown that the people who have been affected by the oil spill have been traumatized and suffer from bouts of depression. There are high rates of alcoholism and social ills that can be directly linked to the Exxon Valdez. Along with the OPA of 1990, the Exxon Valdez is also responsible for the creation of two Regional Citizen's Advisory Councils, one, which operates from Cook Inlet and the other from Prince William Sound. These councils are funded solely by assessments that are made on the oil industry. The councils include a number of local interest groups and present views from all aspects of the general population. Since these councils have access to capital, they have the ability to fund research and projects that allow them to play big roles in the formation of government policies. Among all the animal casualties, there is another victim, people. Thousands have been forced to bare the consequences of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Throughout the years, the waters of Alaska have provided families with a living, but the oil spill changed that. Fisherman in Cordova and other nearby cities surrounding the Gulf of Alaska have struggled with scarce catches. Fine, Doug 1999. Exxon Valdez: An Anniversary to Celebrate?. Sports Afield 221:12. Knickerbocker, Brad. 1999. The Big Spill. Christian Science Monitor 91:1.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Exxon Valdez, William Sound, Act OPA, Office Valdez, Gulf Alaska, Senate None, Captain Hazelwood, South Alabama, Oregan Coast, oil spill, Joseph Hazelwood, exxon valdez, valdez oil, exxon valdez oil, valdez oil spill, prince william, william sound, prince william sound, killer whales, knickerbocker 1999, christian science monitor, oil spill species, 1400 miles, knickerbocker brad, oil pollution,
Approximate Word count = 1703
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
