In the Wake of the Exxon Valdez: The Devastating Impact of the Alaska Oil Spill

Describes the events that set the stage for the disaster, the devastating environmental impact of the spill, and the global danger of oil tankers

The story of our continent's most devastating oil spill. In order to make sense of this complex disaster, Davidson has pulled together myriad sources and dozens and dozens of interviews with federal and state officials, oil industry representatives, Alaska residents, environmentalists, and clean-up volunteers. He provides a background for the oil spill by summarizing the history of the trans-Alaska pipeline and the controversy surrounding its construction. With an informal touch and a lucid style, he clarifies the tangled issues that have arisen in the aftermath of the oil spill. Interviews are smoothly interwoven with scientific data and media accounts. Throughout, Davidson asks questions for readers to ponder. The chapter notes give primary sources for all of the material, a real boon to students wanting to delve into a particular aspect of the Alaska oil spill. --Cynthia J. Rieben, W. T. Woodson High School, Fairfax,
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The lesson of the Exxon Valdez , stresses Davidson ( Alakshad: The Great Country ) is that prevention is the only defense against oil spills; they cannot be contained. Having witnessed the effects of the Alaska spill on landscape, wildlife and people, he has written a blockbuster report on public complacency in the face of potential disaster and about moral and legal accountability for the accident and the cleanup. This grim, blow-by-blow account of the grounding of the tanker and the next 72 hours in March 1989, is followed by an examination of the repercussions. He shows that territorial disputes between state and federal governments and turf battles among agencies turned the crisis into chaos. Exxon accepted responsibility, yet the oil consortium, Alyeska, was legally in charge; the Federal National Contingency Plan failed to provide necessary resources. The volume should be required reading for all elected and public officials as well as for those in the oil industry. First serial to Sierra and Alaska magazines; author tour.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Davidson, author, Alaska resident, and environmentalist, tells the riveting story of this environmental tragedy and the consequences that arise when greed and complacency take priority over conscientious management and planning. In additon to reporting on the disaster itself, he looks closely at the environmental issues it raised and implications for policy-makers. In his introduction, Davidson provides an excellent summary of his book: "it is . . . about how the politics of oil collided with our responsibility to the earth. A story of addictions: not just a tanker captain's addiction to alcohol but widespread addictions to power, money, and energy consumption." Recommended for all general collections.
- Mary J. Nickum, Fish and Wildlife Reference Svce., Bethesda, Md.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.