Lingering impact of Exxon Valdez oil spill

Twenty-five years after one of the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters, the legacy of the Exxon Valdez oil spill still haunts Alaskans living alongside Prince William Sound. (March 20)

Published

4 months ago

Categories

World, US

Topics

World, Environment, United States

People

Tracy Brown

Places

United States of America, Alaska

Companies

Exxon Mobil Corporation

Transcript

Twenty-five years after one of the most devastating human-caused environmental disasters, the legacy of the Exxon Valdez oil spill still haunts Alaskans living alongside Prince William Sound. (March 20) SHOTLIST: AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLY Valdez Harbor, Alaska - 7 March 2014 1. Wide, mountains reflected in harbor 2. Mid, fishing sign 3. STILL image of crude oil from the Exxon Valdez - April 9, 1989 4. FILE: Aerial view of Exxon Valdez and oil spill 5. FILE: Wide, close-up oil on shore 6. Wide, Rick Wade showing steel he cut off the Exxon Valdez 7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Rick Wade, First Diver on scene of oil spill: (Transcript Below) 8. Graphic, showing map of oil spill and still images of dead birds and sea otters 9. Close-up sea otter diving 10. SOUNDBITE: (English) Dorothy Moore, Regional Citizen Council member: (Transcript Below) 11. Close-up sea otter eating 12. FILE: Close-up fish being put on conveyor belt 13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Bernie Culbertson, Valdez fisherman , who was hired to help with initial cleanup(Transcript Below) 14. Wide, boats in harbor 15. Close-up fishing boats 16. Various views, oil terminal at harbor 17. Various tankers, barge 18. Graphic, oiled sea otter and sea bird 19. Push-in mountains reflected in harbor VOICE-OVER SCRIPT: AS PRISTINE AS ALASKA'S PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND LOOKS NOW, IT STILL CARRIES THE SCARS OF ONE OF THE WORST MAN-MADE ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS IN NORTH AMERICA. JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT MARCH 24, 1989 THE EXXON VALDEZ WITH ITS LOAD OF 53 MILLION GALLONS OF CRUDE OIL _ VEERED OFF COURSE, STRIKING BLIGH REEF, GUSHING AN ESTIMATED 10.8 MILLION GALLONS OF THICK, TOXIC CRUDE OIL .... RICK WADE WAS THE FIRST DIVER ON SCENE ORDERED TO PATCH THE CRIPPLED SUPER TANKER. SOMETHING THAT PROVED IMPOSSIBLE. SOUNDBITE: Rick Wade of Valdez, first diver on scene the night the Exxon Valdez ran aground "Nobody really realized, nobody realized how close the ship was to coming apart. It almost broke in half // It would have rolled right there, and it'd still be out there. They never would have got it out." THE OIL SMEARED THE ALASKAN SHORELINE _ KILLING BETWEEN 100,000 AND 250,00 SEABIRDS, ABOUT THREE THOUSAND SEA OTTERS AND 300 HARBOR SEALS ... ADD TO THAT AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF SALMON AND PACIFIC HERRING. BUT, SOME SPECIES HAVE FINALLY REBOUNDED ... SOUNDBITE: Dorothy Moore, regional citizen council member, retired teacher and former Valdez City Council member: "Prior to the oil spill, the otter population was extremely high. // And I think they're back again." FISHING COMMUNITIES WERE ALSO HARD HIT ... THE BOTTOM DROPPED OUT OF THE PRICE OF FISH, AND SPILL CLEAN-UP WORK EVENTUALLY STOPPED. SOUNDBITE: Bernie Culbertson, Valdez fisherman , who was hired to help with initial cleanup "There's resentment, sure. // You know, Exxon said they would make us well. Their mouth was moving. If you've been around, you knew they were lying." WHILE SALMON ARE NOW PLENTIFUL AND SHRIMP ARE SLOWLY COMING BACK, THE SAME CAN'T BE SAID FOR CRAB OR HERRING. BUT SOME LOCAL OFFICIALS SAY THERE ARE POSITIVES ... BETTER PREVENTION AND RESPONSE EFFORTS FOR OIL SPILLS, USE OF DOUBLE HULLED OIL-TANKERS AND LONGER TANKER ESCORTS ... COURTESY OF THE EXXON VALDEZ, A GENERATION OF AMERICANS EQUATE ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHE WITH OIL-SOAKED SEA OTTERS AND SEA BIRDS. TWENTY FIVE YEARS LATER, OIL IS STILL FOUND ON SOME ISLAND BEACHES _ JUST BENEATH THE SURFACE. TRACY BROWN/Associated Press