Natural Resource Extraction, State & Local, Environmental Science, Disaster Relief 

Minutes before supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef before rocks ripped a huge hole in her hull and a geyser of crude oil darkened the pristine waters of Prince William Sound the ship s lookout burst through the chart room door That light sir it s still on the starboard side It should be to port sir Her frantic words were merely the last in a litany of futile warnings A parade of promises began the next day Exxon Shipping Company president Frank Iarossi declared If it is a claim that is associated with the spill we ve assumed full financial responsibility A week later Alaska Governor Steve Cowper spoke at the Valdez Civic Center We don t want anybody to think that they have to hire a lawyer and go into federal court and sue the largest corporation in America Eight days after the disaster Valdez native Bobby Day flew over the spill and knew his life as a herring fisherman a population that would be decimated by the spill was shattered He struggled with feelings of betrayal and guilt and later weathered the tensions of a divided community His intimate portrayal lends a local perspective and conveys the damage inflicted upon individuals and the fishing industry Lengthy investigations revealed cover ups covert operations reckless corporate management numerous safety violations and a broken regulatory process At the time of the spill oil flowed through the Alyeska pipeline at a profit of 400 000 per hour Yet in the end the ten thousand fishermen affected by the spill spent nearly twenty years in litigation and received little compensation for their losses Despite a massive cleanup effort oil remains on the beaches and continues to impact marine life Red Light to Starboard documents a disaster that stunned the world recounting regional and national history and explains how oil titans came to be entrusted with a spectacular The book discusses the environmental consequences as well as ineffective governmental and publi - from Amzon