In Riveting Prose, Ott Unpacks the Consequences of the Exxon Valdez
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sound truths 3rd pass.qxd 8/30/04 9:54 AM Page i In riveting prose, Ott unpacks the consequences of the Exxon Valdez. Her six years of relentless investigation shines a clear light on the lies, the pseudo-science, the sickness, and the death that have spread as thickly as the oil itself in the wake of this monumental tragedy. Her practical and visionary recommenda- tions challenge us all with the really big question: are we ready to close the curtain on the Age of Oil? Ott’s rigorous research suggest that a positive future may depend on our willingness to say “yes.” —Fran Korten Executive Director, Positive Futures Network Through compelling first-hand accounts of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Riki Ott reminds us that the dire environmental conse- quences of this disaster live on—in the form of increased rates of asthma, allergies, and cancer. Hers is an eloquent warning that we must not look at Exxon Valdez as an isolated incident, but as a signal of our over-dependence on oil and a premoni- tion of what can and will happen again. ‘Sound Truth’ moving- ly cautions us that we can no longer ignore the public health threat of fossil fuels. —Robert K. Musil,PhD, MPH Executive Director and CEO, Physicians’ for Social Responsibility Throughout the turbulent waters of this complex story, Riki Ott keeps a steady hand on the tiller and a steady eye on her navi- gation. Where many authors would be dismasted and ship- wrecked by their own fury, she stays clear-eyed and commu- nicative, keeping this story proceeding firmly on course. —Carl Safina, author of Song for the Blue Ocean and Eye of the Albatross sound truths 3rd pass.qxd 8/30/04 9:54 AM Page ii Riki Ott takes you to the womb of Alaska and meticulously doc- uments the insidious devastation of unleashed crude oil on one of the world’s most prolific wildlife birthing grounds. She paints a panorama of bedlam, frustration, and corruption on a canvas of blatant corporate disregard for the long term impacts of its actions. Like the crude oil still invading wildlife in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, I could not help but reflect on the vast numbers of synthetic chemicals derived from the cracking of crude oil that are invading human and wildlife wombs all over- the world, undermining the potential health, behavior, and intelligence of future generations. In closing, Riki Ott poses a series of practical actions that convincingly could turn around society’s course of self destruction and in the meantime prevent further catastrophes. —Theo Colborn, PhD Professor, Zoology Department, University of Florida Adjunct Graduate Faculty, Texas A&M Senior Fellow, World Wildlife Fund sound truths 3rd pass.qxd 8/30/04 9:54 AM Page iii Sound Truth and Corporate Myth$ The LEGACY of the EXXON VALDEZ Oil Spill sound truths 3rd pass.qxd 8/30/04 9:54 AM Page iv sound truths 3rd pass.qxd 8/30/04 9:54 AM Page v Sound Truth and Corpora te Myt h $ The LEGACY of t h e E XXON VALDEZ Oil Sp i ll Riki Ott, Ph D D RAG O N F LY SISTERS PRESS Cordova , Al a s k a sound truths 3rd pass.qxd 8/30/04 9:54 AM Page vi Published by Dragonfly Sisters Press P.O. Box 1271 Cordova,AK 99574 www.soundtruth.com Produced for Dragonfly Sisters Press by Lorenzo Press 20 Elm Avenue Norwich,CT 06360 www.lorenzopress.com Copyright © 2004 by Riki Ott All rights reserved.Except for brief passages quoted in a newspaper, maga- zine, radio or television review, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical,including photocopying and recording,or by any information storage and retrieval system,without permission in writing from the Publisher. ISBN 0-9645-2266-7 Library of Congress Control Number 2004104088 Cover design by Susan Ogle and Lisa Marie Jacobs FIRST EDITION,First Printing Printed in the U.S.A.on recycled paper Distributed by BookMasters,Inc. 30 Amberwood Parkway Ashland,OH 44805 1-800-247-6553 www.atlasbooks.com A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book goes to the Oiled Regions of Alaska Foundation for the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Education Legacy Fund (EVOS ELF). sound truths 3rd pass.qxd 8/30/04 9:54 AM Page vii A Note to the Reader Since the time of Tacitus,historians have written to record and inter- pret the past in order to know what is a wise course for the present. This book is such an investigative history. As such, it interprets the events surrounding and following the Exxon Valdez disaster. In reconstructing events and attempting to explain them, this heavily annotated manu s c ript re c o n s t ructs from court re c o rd s , o ffi c i a l reports, and personal reminiscences,among other things,the events from 24 March 1989 to the present. In interpreting these events, like all historians, I have had to make analyses, deductions, and speculations. The motivations and actions of Exxon personnel and other players have been subject to the refraction of this historian’s prism and,thus,no absolute certain- ty can be claimed by this author. However, I believe this to be an accurate record of the whats and whys of the Exxon Valdez affair.The reader is left to assess the inter- pretation of this catastrophe,its consequences,and its lessons. sound truths 3rd pass.qxd 8/30/04 9:54 AM Page viii Permissions: Figure 3. Reproduced with permission from Chemical and Engineering News, 21 September 1998,76(38):57–67.Copyright 1998,American Chemical Society. Table 4. Reprinted with permission from Peterson, Rice,Short,esler, Bodkin, Ballachey, and Irons. 2003. Long-term ecosystem response to EVOS. Science 3 0 2 : 2 0 8 2 – 2 0 8 6 . C o py right 2003 AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science). Quotation from G e n e rations at Risk: R ep ro d u c t i ve Health and the Environment by Schettler, Solomon, Valenti, and Huddle (1999), pp. 74–75, used with permission from the MIT Press. Quotations from Marine Mammals and the Exxon Valdez edited by Laughlin. Copyright 1994,pp.52,277,used with permission from Elsevier. Dialogue from Calvin and Hobbes courtesy of Universal Press Syndicate. sound truths 3rd pass.qxd 8/30/04 9:54 AM Page ix To the healing of all beings harmed by the Ex xon Valdez oil spil l ; To Malani , Rory, Zak , Zeben , and the Youth , for they are the ones who will lead us out of our current oil dependency; To my father, Fred Ot t , Walt Parker, Virginia “Ginny” Wood, and the Elders for instil ling the courage to live our values ; and In loving memory of Celia Hunter and my mother, Eli z abeth “Jol ly” Ot t . “A scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.” Max Planck sound truths 3rd pass.qxd 8/30/04 9:54 AM Page x sound truths 3rd pass.qxd 8/30/04 9:54 AM Page xi Table of Contents A Note to the Reader . .vii Illustrations . .xiii Tables . .xiii Sidebars . .xiv Foreword . .xv Preface . .xix Acknowledgements . .xxi Abbreviations . .xxv Introduction . .1 Part 1: Sick Workers Exposed:A Cover Up of Mass Chemical Poisoning 1.Exxon’s Cleanup from a Worker Health Perspective . .21 2.Exxon’s Failed Worker Safety Program . .39 3.Dangerous Chemicals at Dangerous Levels . .55 Exposure and Health Problems 4.Ron Smith and Randy Lowe . .71 5.Phyllis “Dolly”La Joie . .85 6.A Collection of Stories . .97 7.Sara Clarke and Captain Richard Nagel . .113 Buried: Workers’ Health Claims 8.Vanishing Claims . .125 9.Toxic Torts and Justice Denied . .139 An Occupational Health Disaster 10.Investigating a Disaster . .159 xi sound truths 3rd pass.qxd 8/30/04 9:54 AM Page xii xii R ik i O t t Part 2: Sound Truth Pre-Spill Studies 11.1970s Science . .181 Early Oil Spill Studies (1989 to 1992) 12.Tracking the Oil . .191 13.Coastal Ecology . .201 14.Marine Mammals . .215 15.Marine Birds . .231 16. Fish . .249 Ecosystem Studies (1993 to 2003) 17. Sound Ecosystem Assessment (SEA) Program . .273 18.Nearshore Vertebrate Predator (NVP) Project . .293 19.Apex Predators . .317 20. Fish and Oil Toxicity . .343 21.Habitat is Where It’s At! . .359 2004 Status of the Sound 22.Sound Truth . .373 Part 3: The Legacy and Beyond 23. The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill:Emerging Science and Policy . .387 24. Beyond the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill:Recommendations for Strengthening Oil Pollution Prevention . .417 Epilogue—Reflections from the Sound . .445 Appendix A:Cleanup Workers’ Exposure and Illness Data . .449 Appendix B:Contact Information . .455 Appendix C:Recommendations for the Alaska Workers’ Compensation Program . .459 Appendix D: The People—Where are They Now? . .461 Appendix E:Chronology of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Legacy 471 Notes . .473 References . .481 Index . .549 About the Author . .561 Photographs follow page 276 sound truths 3rd pass.qxd 8/30/04 9:54 AM Page xiii Illustrations Fi g u re s Map Alaska: Trans-Alaska Pipeline Corridor . .xviii Map Spread of Oil from Exxon Valdez Oil Spill . .xx Map Prince William Sound,Alaska . .xxvii 1 Exxon’s Partial Release of Liability for Indemnity .