Word: oiling
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...assumed that the two Alaskas -- one wild and the other industrial -- could exist in harmony. Surely the logging companies would not be able to make a noticeable dent in the state's vast forests. Surely the bears and wolves and snow geese would not be bothered by a few oil rigs...
...that assumption has been shattered, perhaps irreparably, by the 10 million gal. of oil that have poured from the Exxon Valdez since it went off course and ran aground in Prince William Sound in late March. By last week the thick, tarry crude had spread into a slick that covered 1,600 sq. mi. of water, fouling 800 miles of shoreline in one of the world's richest wildlife areas. In the wake of the largest oil spill in U.S. history, Alaskans are in shock. Said Dennis Kelso, the state's environment commissioner: "People are going to have strong feelings...
Even as cleanup crews struggled to contain the damage, the incident was igniting a debate on the future of Alaska, intensifying a longtime battle between developers and preservationists. In Washington EPA Administrator William Reilly called for a re-evaluation of oil exploration proposals pending for the state. And in Alaska itself, a tradition of favoring development is suddenly in doubt...
Legislators and regulators are asking tough questions: Should oil exploration in Alaska be drastically curtailed, or even stopped? Should larger areas of the state be put under federal protection from development? If the U.S. holds back the pumping of Alaskan oil, how will the country satisfy its hunger for energy...
...Three Mile Island, this single disaster could be the turning point for an entire industry. Says Alaska Governor Steve Cowper: "There's going to be a permanent change in the political chemistry of Alaska as a result of this tragedy. Most Alaskans are going to reassess their attitude toward oil and development in this state...