GFC

Our local Alaska community is being asked for what our "lessons learned" from the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989.  My daughter is completing college and I remember it happened shortly after she was born.   That's a lot of time for us to forget the details.

Fortunately, last fall,  I had an opportunity to see, "The Big One", a play commissioned by Cyrano's Theatre, in honor of our state's 50th year celebration.  Dick Reichman wrote and directed the play that depicted moments before, during and after the spill.   At the conclusion of the play, I thought all Alaskans should not miss seeing it.    The Anchorage audience was eclectic, but from a quick glance many more made their living from oil and gas, then seafood.     Also this winter, I had a chance to read Riki Ott's, "Not One Drop - Betrayal and Courage in the Wake of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill".   It was another good reminder of the details of the spill and I highly recommend reading the book and seeing the play, where available.

So, what's different now for the Gulf Coast?   What's changed in 21 years?

My overwhelming answer is, THE MEDIA.    After Alaska's oil spill, the media mobilized to Alaska and the Prince William Sound for international coverage.   Press conferences were anticipated and covered on all major networks.   The message was very important and controlled by whoever had the podium, at the time.     Fortunately, there were professional investigative reporters who gathered information outside of the scheduled conferences.     They sought out and reported information independently to help us understand the extent of the impact.   We relied on them for accurate news.

The Gulf spill will not have the benefit of such professional investigative reporters.     They are a dying breed due to the internet, cost cutting and our penchant for celebrity updates.  

On the other hand, we do have the internet.   In 1989, there were about 3,000,000 worldwide users.   In 2010, there are, 1,802,330,457.     Will this bode well for the Gulf?      Will the information collected and transmitted be more accurate to tell the story so that responses can be faster and more accurate?      It can be.   

I, like most, want the best for all parties involved - the people of the Gulf Coast, the companies and the respective industry sectors.   We may have lost valuable time doing what's right, in Alaska's situation, while we got organized and figured out who had authority and responsibility.    We may have used archaic means to find solutions like the telephone (land line even)  ...and going up and down the chain of command, but there's no need today.  It's 2010. 

Here is an example of EPA's effort to get input on solutions outside of what the companies involved might offer.    There are already hundreds of websites, portals, Tweets and Facebook pages dedicated to arriving at optimum solutions.      Let's get on board to support those efforts.    Frankly, we did not have such mechanisms to plug in - during 1989 and they are significant improvements to getting all hands on deck.

Let's not pat ourselves on the back - been there/done that.   Let's get to the common goal of reducing the tragic impacts as quickly and effectively as possible.   We're all stakeholders.  All of us !