August 8, 2006
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Cleaning Up Under Fire
The Oil Spill Working Group, a coalition of non-governmental agencies,
is in Beirut preparing to begin cleaning up an oil slick that is up to
a foot-and-a-half thick offshore in Lebanon.They had been trying to achieve a cease-fire for purposes of cleaning
up the oil spill. Having failed that, they now intend to start
cleaning it up anyway. This is especially important because of
the season. Soon, sea turtles will be coming ashore to lay eggs.The wreck of the Exxon Valdez is one of the most horrific memories I
have. Even here inland hundreds of miles from the site of the
spill, everyone I know was profoundly affected by it. As everyone
knows who is familiar with Prince William Sound before and after, the
ecosystem hasn’t and never will fully recover.Many people I know spent their summer that year working on the
cleanup. One of my dearest friends committed suicide in Valdez
that summer while she was there to work on the cleanup. She had
troubles of her own, but I don’t doubt that what she experienced in the
spill had its effect on her mood.One man I know can’t talk about his work there without weeping.
His job was to stand in the hold of a tanker ship and clear out the
bodies of fish, birds, sea otters, and other animals that clogged the
pipes as the oil-tainted sea water was pumped into the hold.
Others I know who worked cleaning oil off of rocks onshore now
experience chronic illness from the toxic effects of that work, in
addition to the psychic scars from living in that devastated landscape.So, when I hear the words, “oil spill cleanup,” I am predisposed to
think of it in terms of environmental devastation, pain, sickness, loss
and grief. As I listened to the news story about the Oil Spill
Working Group in Beirut, I couldn’t help crying for the sea turtles and
all the other creatures who are dying right now and will die in the
near future, for the families whose lives depend on the sea harvest,
and for the others whose lives will be changed or ended because of the
spill and the task of cleaning it up in the middle of a war.
Comments (11)
Good grief… I can’t imagine… how awful… Sometimes the world is just shit.
I hadn’t heard about this latest oil spill. This breaks my heart. I get sick inside when I see how the environment is abused. Something has to change, and soon. My heart goes out to all who are involved in the cleanup and to all creatures affected by this disaster. Take care, and I like your site, by the way.
Peace.
Very sad…..
Horrible.
My family was profoundly affected by the Valdez Oil Spill. We were a commercial fishing family through and through– rather, we were a tender- we contracted with the processing company, to pick up and carry the fish from the fisherman at the openers, to the plant.
Our boat was one used to help clean up, we were involved– The same year, the State of Alaska began the quota system, basing off of the amount of fish caught during a specific time when most fisherman were busy with the spill (at least this is my understanding, I was pretty young)– My family was S.O.L. for quota for halibut and cod, because when we should have been fishing to set our quota limit, we were helping clean the spill– by the time we were able to fish, we couldn’t get enough like normal- Fighting it made no difference. They didn’t accept the past history of our boat’s production- So we got the short end of the deal, and we went from living wages, to less than $10,000 a year, year-round fishing-
We spent many nights huddled together for lack of heat, not much food, and ratty crappy clothes that never fit. Shoes that were too small, or sandals, whatever was cheaper. Free school supplies, free lunches, were what got us by, and usually were the only full meal I had. All of the stress put a horrible burden on my parents, to which they never recovered, and the divorce was imminent.
I will forever remember the Tanker Blockade, and seeing the camera crews on boats drive past our boat– So many signs of “R.I.P.P.W.S.” I remember having to ask my dad what that meant exactly- I hadn’t put together Rest in Peace Prince William Sound. I still have some pictures I took of the blockade from the bow of our boat– It makes me cry just thinking about it all, and how it all snow-balled and affected my entire childhood.
My dad finally recieved part of a settlement check from Exxon– $334. Yes, that is right, Three hundred, and thirty four dollars. I visited my husband in South Carolina, and my mother in law rented a car for us– the only gas station she saw where we were was an Exxon- and I told her “I’d rather walk 1,000 miles, than buy gas at Exxon” I guess you can tell I still have a lot of hostility for them.. .. .. well.. I do.
I remember when the spill happened Nightline had this Exxon “expert”/”biologist” on there who was so chipper and you’d thought the spill was the best possible thing that could have happened. Wanted to throttle the scab.
I had missed knowing about this latest oil spill. Like you, I weep for the creatures. That is a horrible way to die. Oil seems to be our darkest enemy right now. Until we learn to assauge our terrible appetite for gas and more gas, we can expect a lot more of this. A lot more wars as well!!
As if I were not depressed enough before ….
That makes me sick. Those poor animals, their poor ecosystem… lord. What a waste.
We are ALL interconnected with every living thing on this earth… everything that happens affects not just all of us but our environment as well.
(reminds me that I still have to see this!)
I posted this on recent news at Care2. Unfortunately, it didn’t make the front page, but it felt good sharing, regardless.
Hope to see you out there, I think I’ll make a tribute to you. Dear One.