Word: valdez
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
When the Exxon Valdez fouled Alaska's waters a year ago, Americans reacted with shock and indignation. Last week it was Exxon's turn to be shocked. U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh announced that the company had been indicted on five criminal counts stemming from the March 1989 oil spill. That action, which reportedly followed the breakdown of a plea bargain that Alaskan officials opposed as too lenient, could cost Exxon $700 million in fines if the company is convicted. Said Thornburgh: "We intend to see that the laws are fully and strictly enforced...
...Captain Cook Hotel in Anchorage, Joe Hazelwood has an unimpeded view of ice-choked Cook Inlet and the snowy peaks of the Alaska Range looming 100 miles to the north. But across the street in Courtroom C of Alaska Superior Court, where the defrocked skipper of the Exxon Valdez is trying to sort out his legal future, the outlook is murky...
Hazelwood's lawyers contend that the Coast Guard, which has the responsibility to monitor ships in Prince William Sound, failed to warn the Exxon Valdez before it went aground. They also argue that Third Mate Gregory Cousins, who was in charge of the Valdez when the accident took place, was qualified to run the ship in the captain's absence. Finally, they may try to cast doubt on the widely held belief that Hazelwood was drunk at the time...
...orders to steer the ship back into an outgoing sea-lane from which it had been diverted to avoid floating ice. But Cousins charged that Kagan had failed to turn the helm sharply enough to bring the ship promptly to its new course, and that was why the Valdez plowed into a reef it should have missed by two miles. Chief Mate James Kunkel testified that before the accident he had warned Hazelwood that Kagan needed extra supervision and "practice in steering." On a 1985 voyage with Kagan, Kunkel said the seaman had trouble choosing the right paint and brush...
California's oily beaches highlight the environment as the hottest issue in U.S. politics, and candidates on both coasts are scrambling to prove their colors. -- In Alaska, Joseph Hazelwood's lawyers hope to show that he was a victim, not a villain, of the Exxon Valdez spill. -- Why is George Bush rocking along with a 76% approval rating? His low profile helps. -- Despite being dragged into court, Ronald Reagan remains serene...