Red Light to Starboard

Recalling the Exxon Valdez Disaster

De: Angela Day

Narrado por: Chris Abell

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...The state of Alaska represents you. And we want to be sure that...people who are damaged by this, get compensated fairy and quickly." He also indicated that the state would see to it Prince William Sound was cleaned up, regardless of the cost.

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 10,000 fishermen affected by the spill spent nearly 20 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 story that stunned the world, recounting regional and national events. The compelling narrative explains how an industry often seen as greedy came to be entrusted with a spectacular, fragile ecosystem, and discusses the governmental and public policy decisions that contributed to the disaster, as well as personal and environmental consequences. It also follows policy steps taken since the spill and through opportunities for citizen input and oversight, offers hope for preventing future disasters.

©2014 Board of Regents of Washington State University (P)2016 Redwood Audiobooks

Dealing with change

The Exxon Valdez spill in affected many lives. In Red Light to Starboard we get a look at Bobby Day. Bobby was a fisherman who loved Alaska and fishing. When the spill took place Bobby was on top of his game. We also get a look into how Exxon employees had mad a few mistakes that ended up adversely affecting the ecosystem of Prince William Sound. Between the massive amounts of oil, and the oil cleaning process the Sound changed. Many fishermen were losing out on what used to be a plentiful abundance of Salmon and Herring. The years following of court cases against Exxon still left many people having to find a new way of life. Bobby Day was one of those people.

It is was an engrossing read/lisen.

The book did an excellent job of personalizing the Valdez Oil Spill, while at the same time illustrating the scale of the disaster. While most may think this spill happened in Alaska, the entire US felt it and the legal ramifications from it. This book fully illustrated all of that.

Interesting

A very interesting in depth look at the Exxon Valdez environmental disaster. I didn't really know anything about what happened so this was fascinating for me. Very well done.

Loved the narrator. Perfect for this book.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

True story brought to life

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Parts were interesting, some were a little boring.

What was most disappointing about Angela Day’s story?

Would have liked more drama in the story as it was a very dramatic event.

What three words best describe Chris Abell’s voice?

Clear, capable, cadence.

Did Red Light to Starboard inspire you to do anything?

Be more aware of the environment around you.

Any additional comments?

"I was voluntarily provided this review copy at no charge by the author, publisher and or narrator.”

Sure, everyone knows, but...

Even though everyone knows about the Valdez accident, this is still a very good read with great narration. Many good details. Funny that the story deals almost-zero with the title though.