WEBVTT

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[gulls cawing]

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[boat engine rumbling]

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[water lapping]

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[water splashing softly]

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- Fishing is a beautiful
lifestyle.

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You\'re just so close to life
and nature,

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the Earth and the water,
the fish.

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It\'s just a lot of fun.

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[engines rumbling]

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- As I\'m out there fishing
with my daughter, you know,

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I like it.

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I love the community,
the camaraderie of it.

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I love being outside in Alaska,

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You know, you\'re really doing
something that\'s meaningful.

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[machinery whirring]

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- Well, I\'m having a great time
this summer,

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and mostly I\'ve just been
thinking about how sad it is

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that this is the first time
I\'ve done it.

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I mean, I could have been going
out on a boat with my father

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and my brother and my mother
all these years,

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and that could\'ve been
our family income.

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But as it is, I\'m 23 years old,

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and this is the first time
that I\'ve fished a summer,

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because it hasn\'t been
financially feasible.

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It just wasn\'t an option.

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- Cordova, it\'s very intimate.

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You don\'t have a road
to get here.

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You have to fly in
or come in by boat.

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You have to want to get here.

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You have to want to be here.

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- I don\'t know what the deal is.

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- Okay.

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- And that\'s my boat
right there, the Blue Note.

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- [indistinct speech]

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And then Dad was gonna lead a...

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- Let\'s go this way.

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There we go.
Yeah.

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This is me and my daughter
and our old dog on the dock.

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Well, I had been fishing...

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I think I started in 1982.

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And I think Linden had done
a little bit of fishing also,

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and we had a net repair business
that we\'d started.

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And I decided that seven years,
you know,

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I was either gonna get in

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or get out
and do something else.

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So we got in.

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- The future was so bright
at that time.

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We talked to about ten people,
you know, Fish and Game,

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the hatchery people,
everybody\'s opinion

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about whether it was a good time
to buy in.

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And we literally
had to write letters.

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We wrote a letter
to every permit holder

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in the fleet, 275 people,
to find a permit to buy.

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It was... everybody was so
convinced

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that the future
was so bright and we...

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We secured a permit
and a boat for $300,000,

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and then the...

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- $300,000?

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- Yes.

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And we basically did that
in February.

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Then the oil spill happened
in March.

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[birds cawing eerily]

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[dog barking faintly]

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[knocking at door]

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- At 7:00 in the morning,

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there was this bang, bang, bang

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on this door.

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And I just shot up.

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My heart just hit my ribs,
and shot up, ran downstairs.

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My first thought was something
had happened to my father.

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I mean, why else
would somebody hike

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all the way up this mountain
to come and get me?

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There was no road up this hill.

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I mean, it had to be
an emergency.

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And I open the door,
and there\'s Jack Lamb,

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who was the acting
vice president

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of Cordova District
Fishermen United.

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And I just looked at him,
and all he said was,

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\"We\'ve had the big one.\"

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So immediately I just shifted
into a gear

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of what we need to do right now
to defend Prince William Sound.

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And I found that
the local pilot, Steve Rainey,

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was just about to leave.

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He was literally
warming up his engine.

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So I just rushed out
to the airport.

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And the next thing I know,

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by 9:00, we are headed
out into Prince William Sound.

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It was a gorgeous day.

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I mean, the sun
was just coming up.

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It was... it\'s March, late March,

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and the sun comes up slowly.

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It\'s at a very low angle.

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The sky is turned pink.

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We came around Knowles Head,

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and we all just were
just stunned into silence.

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There was this surreal scene.

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The mountains all glowed pink.

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It was just gorgeous.

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And here is flat,
calm, blue water.

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And in the midst of it
is this bloodred tanker

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with this black inky stain
all around it.

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[airplane engine roaring]

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And in the air above the tanker,

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the air is kind of
bluish looking.

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There\'s this haze.

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And we didn\'t know what it was.

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And we flew right into it.

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And all of a sudden,
we\'re just assailed

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with this strong
hydrocarbon vapor.

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[plane engine thrumming]

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- The Exxon Valdez
left the terminal,

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continued out
through the one-way zone.

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And somewhere in this area,
it asked permission to deviate

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so that they could avoid
any potential ice

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that was coming from the glacier
over in this area.

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[booming]

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Then the Valdez continued,

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and it continued south
towards this island

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and ran aground right here
at Bligh Reef.

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It\'s five miles
from where it should\'ve been,

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and it\'s in a well-known,
well-marked reef,

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and it shouldn\'t have
never been there.

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We are approaching
the Exxon Valdez.

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She\'s hard aground.

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Smell oil over here on the side,
on the downwind side.

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We\'re looking at the hull
of the ship.

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You can see a black oil line
right here.

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The vessel has lost
105,000 barrels of oil so far.

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[horn blaring]

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- I flew out that morning
at 11:00.

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And I looked down.

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We saw a boat
pulling around one skimmer.

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And I said,

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\"What in the world
are they doing?\"

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And Michael said,

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\"Oh, that\'s
a photo opportunity.\"

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They\'re not picking up anything,

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because if they picked up
anything,

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they had no place to put it.

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But for the press,

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because there were a lot
of planes going over.

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People were taking pictures.

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That\'s what that was.

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[engines roaring]

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- The disaster built
minute by minute.

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People were flying into town.

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The media was pouring in
from all parts of the planet.

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[crowd roaring]

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[crowd cheering]

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- You think you feel bad
about this.

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We feel awful about it,

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but that doesn\'t help
to come tell you that.

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I\'m here to tell you
what we\'re gonna do about it.

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The contingency plan
was deployed,

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and that...

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- Can I get a second here,
please?

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Just a second, folks...
Let me...

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If you don\'t mind.

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[cheers and applause]

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My name is Riki Ott.

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Why wasn\'t that boom material

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loaded onto our fishing boats
and taken out?

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- I think that\'s
a real good question.

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I\'m not aware of that.

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- Yeah, right.

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- First of all,
we don\'t have any boats.

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We rented local boats.

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- The oil industry
was completely unprepared

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to respond to the spill,

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no matter what cleanup method
they wished to use,

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whether it was dispersants
or mechanical.

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They were completely unprepared.

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- Exxon said they could pick up,

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I think it was 300,000 barrels
of oil in 72 hours.

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They weren\'t even responding
in 72 hours.

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They didn\'t have anybody
to go out and respond.

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We have a fisherman out there

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that was picking up more oil
in five-gallon buckets

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than Exxon had picked up during
the first four or five days.

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It\'s obvious to me

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that we weren\'t being told
the truth.

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The contingency plan
we had in \'89

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was a great work of fiction.

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- I\'m here to tell you
what we\'re gonna do about it.

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And I\'m going to show you
what we\'re doing about it.

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And we\'re doing the best job

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that\'s ever been done
on an oil spill.

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And watch.

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Just watch.

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[crowd murmuring]

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You have had some good luck,
and you don\'t realize it.

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You have Exxon,
and we do business straight.

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- This town meeting that we had
four days after the spill,

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it was the first opportunity

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that everyone had
to come together

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to hear from the various
representatives

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from Fish and Game, Coast Guard,

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the oil industry,

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what their plan was to clean up
this disastrous spill.

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And the town is really
just broiling with conversation,

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rumors, misplaced thoughts.

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You know, when Exxon sent
their main PR man, Don Cornett,

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he said things then that I hope
come back to haunt them.

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- We will consider whatever
it takes to keep you whole.

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- He\'s telling us
the company line,

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\"We will make you whole.\"

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We were dumb enough
to believe it.

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We\'re still waiting.

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- You have my word on that.

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Don Cornett, I told you that.

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[boat horns blaring]

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- The fishing community
knew that litigation

00:14:39.633 --> 00:14:41.466
was going to be necessary,

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because Exxon
was not forthcoming

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in paying off damages
that had occurred.

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We ended up going to trial
in 1994

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with a mandatory class action.

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At trial, there were about
32,000 plaintiffs

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that had been affected
by the oil spill.

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These are just partial number
of the boxes

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of motions and filings.

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And it\'s amazing.

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I would never have believed
this amount of paper

00:15:32.700 --> 00:15:36.233
would be generated
by something like this.

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- They put the drunk
on the bridge

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knowing that he was a drunk.

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They\'d known he was a drunk
for years and years and years,

00:15:50.167 --> 00:15:52.099
and they knew
at some point and time

00:15:52.100 --> 00:15:54.032
he would wreck that vessel.

00:15:54.033 --> 00:15:55.266
- How do you know that?

00:15:55.267 --> 00:15:56.299
- Because we proved it.

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Because we talked to them.

00:15:57.733 --> 00:16:00.299
Because we talked to the doctors
in their medical department.

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We talked to the supervisors.

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We talked to the president
of the shipping company.

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We talked to Captain Hazelwood.

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We talked to them all under oath

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in front of a jury.

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And that\'s the story
that they told.

00:17:11.033 --> 00:17:12.699
- The street intelligence
at the time

00:17:12.700 --> 00:17:16.099
was that Joe Hazelwood often
went to drink at the local bar.

00:17:16.100 --> 00:17:20.632
Now, whether the captain
was drinking too much

00:17:20.633 --> 00:17:23.632
after the accident or before
the accident,

00:17:23.633 --> 00:17:24.799
that will never be answered,

00:17:24.800 --> 00:17:26.132
I don\'t think.

00:17:26.133 --> 00:17:30.332
But the captain did
have a very definite record

00:17:30.333 --> 00:17:31.666
of substance abuse,

00:17:31.667 --> 00:17:34.299
and he also did not have
his driver\'s license

00:17:34.300 --> 00:17:36.166
for driving while intoxicated.

00:17:36.167 --> 00:17:40.899
So Exxon allowed a known
substance abuse... abuser

00:17:40.900 --> 00:17:42.566
to be in control of one
of the best ships

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in their fleet.

00:17:51.033 --> 00:17:54.132
- The deliberations
took four weeks.

00:17:54.133 --> 00:17:58.532
- \"We the jury find
that Joseph Hazelwood

00:17:58.533 --> 00:18:00.332
\"is liable to the plaintiffs

00:18:00.333 --> 00:18:03.332
\"in the sum of $5,000
for punitive damages.

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\"And we the jury find that Exxon
is liable to the plaintiffs

00:18:06.433 --> 00:18:08.599
in the sum of $5 billion.\"

00:18:08.600 --> 00:18:10.199
And he raised his voice
just like that

00:18:10.200 --> 00:18:14.567
as he read it to be sure
the B was heard.

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- \"It\'s the second largest
jury verdict

00:18:21.633 --> 00:18:24.732
\"in the U.S. history
and the largest punitive award

00:18:24.733 --> 00:18:28.532
\"ever levied against
a corporation.

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\"In a quote from Lee Raymond,
Exxon\'s chairman of the board,

00:18:31.600 --> 00:18:36.399
\"he says, \'This verdict is
totally unwarranted and unfair.

00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:38.866
\"\'We\'ll use every legal means
available

00:18:38.867 --> 00:18:46.666
to overturn this unjust verdict,
which is not a final judgment.\'\"

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- They have never had
any intention to pay this.

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And I have been told by their
lawyer, and not privately,

00:18:53.600 --> 00:19:00.166
but simply, \"Exxon will not pay
a single penny of this judgment

00:19:00.167 --> 00:19:04.432
\"until they have exhausted
every possible legal recourse.

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And if my client could take it
to the world court, they would.\"

00:19:06.967 --> 00:19:10.666
[helicopter blades thudding]

00:19:10.667 --> 00:19:13.667
[horns and drums sounding]

00:19:15.567 --> 00:19:18.466
- Scientists confirmed
that lingering oil

00:19:18.467 --> 00:19:22.432
causes harm to habitat
and wildlife.

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Today, 17-plus years later,

00:19:25.467 --> 00:19:28.732
we ask ExxonMobil
to make Prince William Sound

00:19:28.733 --> 00:19:31.432
and our community whole.

00:19:31.433 --> 00:19:34.433
[horns blaring]

00:19:56.300 --> 00:19:58.532
This is how I first saw Cordova.

00:19:58.533 --> 00:20:01.666
I came in on a fishing boat
from Prince William Sound,

00:20:01.667 --> 00:20:04.632
and I just saw this incredible
little community

00:20:04.633 --> 00:20:06.232
at the base
of these two mountains.

00:20:06.233 --> 00:20:08.132
And the mountains were just
sparkling in the snow

00:20:08.133 --> 00:20:09.799
and all this activity.

00:20:09.800 --> 00:20:12.799
And I just felt my stomach...
Just something tighten in it.

00:20:12.800 --> 00:20:17.832
And I knew right then that this
was where I was gonna stay.

00:20:17.833 --> 00:20:20.966
It was early May of 1985.

00:20:20.967 --> 00:20:24.099
I had just finished
graduate school.

00:20:24.100 --> 00:20:26.132
And I had gotten my master\'s

00:20:26.133 --> 00:20:29.266
and then my doctorate
in oil pollution.

00:20:29.267 --> 00:20:35.432
And I blended it
with toxicology.

00:20:35.433 --> 00:20:36.932
I traveled a lot,

00:20:36.933 --> 00:20:38.399
different places
around the world,

00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:40.332
different places
around the country.

00:20:40.333 --> 00:20:41.699
And I didn\'t feel the same

00:20:41.700 --> 00:20:45.700
as when I just
came into this space.

00:20:48.733 --> 00:20:51.499
This space grabbed me,
and it held me.

00:20:51.500 --> 00:20:55.032
And what it took was buying
my own boat

00:20:55.033 --> 00:20:56.567
and commercial fishing.

00:21:06.867 --> 00:21:09.099
I was very politically naïve
at the time.

00:21:09.100 --> 00:21:11.266
I didn\'t know anything
about the history of this place,

00:21:11.267 --> 00:21:13.232
but I knew about oil pollution.

00:21:13.233 --> 00:21:17.232
So I went and I started talking
pretty much to Ross Mullins

00:21:17.233 --> 00:21:18.799
and discovered
that the fishermen

00:21:18.800 --> 00:21:23.299
had this incredibly long history
of watchdogging

00:21:23.300 --> 00:21:26.767
the oil industry operations
in port Valdez.

00:21:30.933 --> 00:21:33.932
- I might not have stayed
in Cordova

00:21:33.933 --> 00:21:38.132
for the rest of my life
had I not gotten involved

00:21:38.133 --> 00:21:43.399
with opposing the Trans-Alaska
oil pipeline project.

00:21:43.400 --> 00:21:44.999
It became very clear immediately

00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:47.767
that this could threaten
this whole area.

00:21:50.533 --> 00:21:55.099
I came to Alaska
in February of 1963.

00:21:55.100 --> 00:21:57.699
It was like coming
to the wilderness, you know,

00:21:57.700 --> 00:22:00.432
the most remote reaches.

00:22:00.433 --> 00:22:02.166
It was real exciting.

00:22:02.167 --> 00:22:05.167
[machinery clanking]

00:22:09.000 --> 00:22:12.066
Everybody knew they\'d discovered
big oil fields

00:22:12.067 --> 00:22:17.866
in the northern part
of the state, Prudhoe Bay.

00:22:17.867 --> 00:22:22.399
The talk about a pipeline
from Prudhoe Bay down to Valdez

00:22:22.400 --> 00:22:23.799
in Prince William Sound

00:22:23.800 --> 00:22:25.832
was beginning to be discussed.

00:22:25.833 --> 00:22:28.566
And the fishermen
were really anxious

00:22:28.567 --> 00:22:33.366
about this whole possibility.

00:22:33.367 --> 00:22:38.266
We had become much more informed
about the statistics worldwide

00:22:38.267 --> 00:22:41.799
on tanker disasters
and the problems

00:22:41.800 --> 00:22:44.332
that we would have potentially
with fisheries

00:22:44.333 --> 00:22:47.033
if a lot of oil
got into the water.

00:22:49.567 --> 00:22:51.532
We ended up going to court

00:22:51.533 --> 00:22:56.966
trying to stop
the issuing of the permit.

00:22:56.967 --> 00:22:59.599
And we won,

00:22:59.600 --> 00:23:01.299
but there was kind of a...

00:23:01.300 --> 00:23:03.032
Almost a hysteria here
in the state

00:23:03.033 --> 00:23:05.899
to get this pipeline in
as soon as possible.

00:23:05.900 --> 00:23:08.966
- As America has grown
and prospered in recent years,

00:23:08.967 --> 00:23:13.366
our energy demands have begun
to exceed available supplies.

00:23:13.367 --> 00:23:17.999
Our expectations for this winter
have now been sharply altered

00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:20.299
by the recent conflict
in the Middle East.

00:23:20.300 --> 00:23:23.300
[explosions]

00:23:29.133 --> 00:23:31.566
Because of that war,

00:23:31.567 --> 00:23:33.832
most of the Middle Eastern
oil producers

00:23:33.833 --> 00:23:36.099
have reduced overall production

00:23:36.100 --> 00:23:39.599
and cut off their shipments
of oil to the United States.

00:23:39.600 --> 00:23:42.199
The time has now come

00:23:42.200 --> 00:23:45.466
for the Congress to get on
with this urgent business.

00:23:45.467 --> 00:23:46.832
[horns honking]

00:23:46.833 --> 00:23:49.232
We must have the legislation now

00:23:49.233 --> 00:23:51.499
which will authorize
construction

00:23:51.500 --> 00:23:53.167
of the Alaska pipeline.

00:23:54.800 --> 00:23:57.266
- We felt that we had to get
to Washington, D.C.,

00:23:57.267 --> 00:24:02.132
to try to lobby Congress
if we could,

00:24:02.133 --> 00:24:03.932
make any impression we could,

00:24:03.933 --> 00:24:06.732
plus get the word out
to more and more people

00:24:06.733 --> 00:24:09.100
around the country.

00:24:11.833 --> 00:24:15.599
When we visited
with Ted Stevens\' office,

00:24:15.600 --> 00:24:17.899
Senator Stevens basically

00:24:17.900 --> 00:24:20.932
was one of the staunchest
supporters

00:24:20.933 --> 00:24:24.399
of getting this thing in
and quickly.

00:24:24.400 --> 00:24:26.999
He said that not one drop of oil

00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:30.766
will touch the waters
of Prince William Sound.

00:24:30.767 --> 00:24:32.832
Oh, well, that was so ludicrous.

00:24:32.833 --> 00:24:34.132
[cheers and applause]

00:24:34.133 --> 00:24:39.532
The Senate voted on whether
the pipeline permit

00:24:39.533 --> 00:24:42.199
should be taken out of the hands
of the court

00:24:42.200 --> 00:24:46.499
and issued by government order.

00:24:46.500 --> 00:24:51.466
They voted 49 to 49
in the Senate.

00:24:51.467 --> 00:24:54.666
Spiro Agnew, our illustrious
vice president,

00:24:54.667 --> 00:24:56.999
had to break that tie.

00:24:57.000 --> 00:24:59.966
And he broke it in favor
of issuing the permit.

00:24:59.967 --> 00:25:03.932
And President Nixon
signed the deal.

00:25:03.933 --> 00:25:08.799
So everybody, I think,
deep down had a real sense

00:25:08.800 --> 00:25:13.032
that we had been betrayed
by the government.

00:25:13.033 --> 00:25:16.033
[explosion]

00:25:17.067 --> 00:25:20.067
[machinery grinding]

00:25:26.700 --> 00:25:29.266
- At the time we built
the Trans-Alaska pipeline,

00:25:29.267 --> 00:25:31.799
it was the largest diameter
pipeline in the world.

00:25:31.800 --> 00:25:35.466
It was the largest privately
financed construction job

00:25:35.467 --> 00:25:37.132
in the world.

00:25:37.133 --> 00:25:39.499
I was fortunate enough
to be here,

00:25:39.500 --> 00:25:41.766
one of the first two people
that came

00:25:41.767 --> 00:25:43.132
once the law was passed

00:25:43.133 --> 00:25:45.832
that allowed us to build
the Trans-Alaska pipeline.

00:25:45.833 --> 00:25:48.833
That was in May of \'74.

00:25:54.333 --> 00:25:56.099
The Trans-Alaska pipeline

00:25:56.100 --> 00:25:58.699
starts to the north
at Prudhoe Bay,

00:25:58.700 --> 00:26:05.633
and it travels to Valdez,
which is 800 miles away.

00:26:07.800 --> 00:26:09.632
The industry
and government officials

00:26:09.633 --> 00:26:11.132
had promised to make this

00:26:11.133 --> 00:26:13.066
the safest pipeline
in the world.

00:26:13.067 --> 00:26:17.366
We as engineers came up,
started to build it,

00:26:17.367 --> 00:26:20.299
and obey all the environmental
rules and laws.

00:26:20.300 --> 00:26:21.333
And we did.

00:26:37.300 --> 00:26:41.599
In 1977, I was asked to join

00:26:41.600 --> 00:26:43.932
the Valdez Marine Terminal
inspection program.

00:26:43.933 --> 00:26:49.632
I would inspect every tanker
that came in to Valdez.

00:26:49.633 --> 00:26:52.466
As time went along,

00:26:52.467 --> 00:26:55.432
we lost our funding
to do inspections.

00:26:55.433 --> 00:26:57.499
Things started falling apart.

00:26:57.500 --> 00:26:58.666
[ship horn blaring]

00:26:58.667 --> 00:27:01.266
Ships aren\'t being
properly repaired.

00:27:01.267 --> 00:27:03.832
I\'m seeing that
the long-promised

00:27:03.833 --> 00:27:05.832
oil spill response equipment

00:27:05.833 --> 00:27:09.499
is not capable of doing what
the industry said it would do.

00:27:09.500 --> 00:27:13.299
The number of people involved
that it took to do that function

00:27:13.300 --> 00:27:15.866
were no longer available
to do that function.

00:27:15.867 --> 00:27:18.332
So in 1984,

00:27:18.333 --> 00:27:24.466
it got so bad that I wrote
a very detailed memo.

00:27:24.467 --> 00:27:25.632
And in that memo,

00:27:25.633 --> 00:27:28.799
I basically said
our failure to inspect,

00:27:28.800 --> 00:27:31.332
to make the industry
live up to the law,

00:27:31.333 --> 00:27:34.499
is a signal to them
that we no longer care.

00:27:34.500 --> 00:27:37.500
[typewriter clacking]

00:27:50.533 --> 00:27:53.699
A few of us that were watching
the oil industry

00:27:53.700 --> 00:27:55.499
and the government

00:27:55.500 --> 00:27:58.399
and how the system
was actually broken

00:27:58.400 --> 00:28:00.532
and not working the way it was,

00:28:00.533 --> 00:28:05.566
we were all concerned
that a major oil spill event

00:28:05.567 --> 00:28:06.699
was around the corner.

00:28:06.700 --> 00:28:08.366
We didn\'t know what ship.

00:28:08.367 --> 00:28:10.532
We didn\'t know whether it was
going to be at the terminal.

00:28:10.533 --> 00:28:12.332
We didn\'t know whether it was
going to be a ship.

00:28:12.333 --> 00:28:14.766
We just knew that conditions
were right

00:28:14.767 --> 00:28:19.300
for there to be
a Challenger disaster.

00:28:25.667 --> 00:28:28.399
- I had formed
the mayor\'s ad hoc committee

00:28:28.400 --> 00:28:31.332
on what would happen
in the event of a big oil spill.

00:28:31.333 --> 00:28:35.332
And the night
before the oil spill,

00:28:35.333 --> 00:28:39.032
we had scheduled Riki Ott
to come in and speak to us.

00:28:39.033 --> 00:28:40.033
It was a teleconference.

00:28:40.034 --> 00:28:41.432
She couldn\'t get in.

00:28:41.433 --> 00:28:43.932
I think it was a weather problem
or something that kept her out.

00:28:43.933 --> 00:28:46.733
So she was speaking
from Cordova.

00:28:48.133 --> 00:28:50.199
Riki has been quite an activist,

00:28:50.200 --> 00:28:55.766
and so we wanted
to hear her comments.

00:28:55.767 --> 00:28:57.732
And Riki then said,

00:28:57.733 --> 00:29:00.632
\"Gentlemen, it\'s not a matter of
if you have an oil spill.

00:29:00.633 --> 00:29:02.866
It\'s a matter of when
you have an oil spill.\"

00:29:02.867 --> 00:29:05.866
[keyboard clacking]

00:29:05.867 --> 00:29:07.232
In her mind,

00:29:07.233 --> 00:29:09.932
I\'m sure it was quite obvious
that sooner or later

00:29:09.933 --> 00:29:11.666
we were going to do
something wrong,

00:29:11.667 --> 00:29:16.166
and somebody\'d make a mistake,
and we\'d have a spill.

00:29:16.167 --> 00:29:18.099
And unfortunate for us,

00:29:18.100 --> 00:29:22.899
it was only a few hours after
she said it that it happened.

00:29:22.900 --> 00:29:26.499
[keyboard clacking]

00:29:26.500 --> 00:29:28.332
- There were all these promises

00:29:28.333 --> 00:29:30.732
that the oil industry had said
they would do

00:29:30.733 --> 00:29:33.566
in preparation for trying
to get the permits

00:29:33.567 --> 00:29:35.566
to build
the Trans-Alaska pipeline.

00:29:35.567 --> 00:29:42.032
And the promises never
materialized into hard fact.

00:29:42.033 --> 00:29:45.899
This is a piece
of the Exxon Valdez hull.

00:29:45.900 --> 00:29:47.799
As you can see,

00:29:47.800 --> 00:29:51.366
this skin is a little
more than an inch thick.

00:29:51.367 --> 00:29:56.899
This is the only thing
separating tons and tons

00:29:56.900 --> 00:29:59.166
and, well, in Exxon Valdez case,

00:29:59.167 --> 00:30:02.999
55 million gallons of oil
from the sea,

00:30:03.000 --> 00:30:05.432
is this one little...

00:30:05.433 --> 00:30:07.400
This much skin, this much steel.

00:30:10.433 --> 00:30:13.332
In lobbying for passage
of the Trans-Alaska pipeline,

00:30:13.333 --> 00:30:16.032
the oil companies
made a lot of promises.

00:30:16.033 --> 00:30:19.299
And one them was that they would
double hull their tankers.

00:30:19.300 --> 00:30:22.232
This was known to be
the safest way to transport oil.

00:30:22.233 --> 00:30:25.599
Congress never enforced
the promise.

00:30:25.600 --> 00:30:27.832
The State of Alaska tried to.

00:30:27.833 --> 00:30:32.166
So the oil companies
sued the State of Alaska.

00:30:32.167 --> 00:30:34.732
They said that this was
federal jurisdiction,

00:30:34.733 --> 00:30:36.866
and since the Coast Guard
was not requiring

00:30:36.867 --> 00:30:38.099
double hull tankers,

00:30:38.100 --> 00:30:40.332
they didn\'t have to do
double hull tankers.

00:30:40.333 --> 00:30:44.332
So we had on one hand
promises by the oil companies

00:30:44.333 --> 00:30:46.866
to do double hull tankers
but with no...

00:30:46.867 --> 00:30:51.566
Clearly no intention
of following through

00:30:51.567 --> 00:30:53.199
with that promise.

00:30:53.200 --> 00:30:56.200
[engine rumbling]

00:31:10.100 --> 00:31:12.299
This preparation
that we\'re seeing here

00:31:12.300 --> 00:31:14.266
is all, like, 20/20 hindsight.

00:31:14.267 --> 00:31:16.966
I mean, this is stuff
that could have been in place

00:31:16.967 --> 00:31:20.567
right when the pipeline
started up.

00:31:22.100 --> 00:31:26.099
One of the shocks
besides seeing all this oil

00:31:26.100 --> 00:31:27.966
in our beautiful
Prince William Sound

00:31:27.967 --> 00:31:33.866
was that there was no one there
to clean it up.

00:31:33.867 --> 00:31:37.666
[engines rumbling]

00:31:37.667 --> 00:31:40.232
The oil spill contingency plans

00:31:40.233 --> 00:31:43.366
that had been approved by
the state and federal government

00:31:43.367 --> 00:31:46.666
promised containment equipment
and cleanup equipment

00:31:46.667 --> 00:31:51.132
and a spill response
within six hours.

00:31:51.133 --> 00:31:53.699
It was nine hours, ten hours
after the grounding.

00:31:53.700 --> 00:31:55.299
There was nothing.

00:31:55.300 --> 00:31:57.400
There was not even
a handkerchief in the water.

00:32:03.267 --> 00:32:07.099
In 1989, that\'s what was under
15 feet of snow.

00:32:07.100 --> 00:32:10.066
And it had just come
back from repairs.

00:32:10.067 --> 00:32:13.667
And it didn\'t even have
the boom loaded on it.

00:32:16.100 --> 00:32:17.632
We could have been
training fishermen

00:32:17.633 --> 00:32:18.699
to respond to a spill.

00:32:18.700 --> 00:32:20.832
We all thought
it was gonna happen.

00:32:20.833 --> 00:32:24.400
Why didn\'t we have this
beforehand?

00:32:29.667 --> 00:32:32.667
[birds cawing]

00:32:37.633 --> 00:32:39.132
When the storm came up

00:32:39.133 --> 00:32:42.166
on the fourth evening
of the Exxon Valdez oil spill,

00:32:42.167 --> 00:32:45.732
it took the oil out through
Prince William Sound,

00:32:45.733 --> 00:32:47.132
past Prince William Sound,

00:32:47.133 --> 00:32:50.499
out into the Gulf of Alaska
into points as far distant

00:32:50.500 --> 00:32:53.667
as 1,200 miles
from the point of impact.

00:33:01.000 --> 00:33:03.366
Almost half of the oil
that spilled

00:33:03.367 --> 00:33:06.000
stayed in Prince William Sound.

00:33:09.500 --> 00:33:11.099
It got buried.

00:33:11.100 --> 00:33:14.432
It got hung up in the trees,
in the rocks, on the beaches,

00:33:14.433 --> 00:33:16.367
and it stayed
in Prince William Sound.

00:33:21.533 --> 00:33:24.332
There was oil
that was three feet thick,

00:33:24.333 --> 00:33:27.900
a meter thick, rolling in
to some of these bays.

00:33:29.833 --> 00:33:32.933
It was unbelievable.

00:33:46.867 --> 00:33:49.866
The low-end estimate
of the Exxon Valdez oil spill

00:33:49.867 --> 00:33:51.566
was 11 million gallons.

00:33:51.567 --> 00:33:54.899
The high-end estimate
was 38 million gallons.

00:33:54.900 --> 00:33:59.332
And the truth
is somewhere in between.

00:33:59.333 --> 00:34:02.399
If this spill
had been superimposed on, say,

00:34:02.400 --> 00:34:04.099
the West Coast
of the United States,

00:34:04.100 --> 00:34:05.966
it would\'ve covered
the entire West Coast

00:34:05.967 --> 00:34:07.499
all the way
from Washington state

00:34:07.500 --> 00:34:10.500
all the way down to San Diego.

00:34:25.900 --> 00:34:28.066
It turns out Exxon didn\'t know
how to clean up the oil

00:34:28.067 --> 00:34:29.432
when it was on the water.

00:34:29.433 --> 00:34:31.866
Exxon didn\'t really have a plan
for cleaning up the oil

00:34:31.867 --> 00:34:34.233
when it was on the beaches
either.

00:34:35.800 --> 00:34:39.166
At first Exxon put anybody
who wanted to be hired

00:34:39.167 --> 00:34:42.766
out there wiping rocks.

00:34:42.767 --> 00:34:44.832
The richest oil company
in the world

00:34:44.833 --> 00:34:49.166
is paying people
to wipe one rock at a time?

00:34:49.167 --> 00:34:50.966
Then the tide comes back in,

00:34:50.967 --> 00:34:52.299
and all the rocks
are oiled again.

00:34:52.300 --> 00:34:55.499
And you have to start
all over again.

00:34:55.500 --> 00:34:57.132
I mean, it was a joke.

00:34:57.133 --> 00:34:59.799
It was a bad joke.

00:34:59.800 --> 00:35:02.232
Nobody... and everybody made
a mockery of Exxon.

00:35:02.233 --> 00:35:03.632
And Exxon realized, \"Uh-oh.

00:35:03.633 --> 00:35:06.532
This is not working at all,
so what can we do now?\"

00:35:06.533 --> 00:35:08.766
Exxon began to hire people.

00:35:08.767 --> 00:35:10.066
And within two months,

00:35:10.067 --> 00:35:14.099
there were literally thousands
of cleanup workers.

00:35:14.100 --> 00:35:15.366
At the peak of the cleanup,

00:35:15.367 --> 00:35:19.132
Exxon employed 11,000
cleanup workers.

00:35:19.133 --> 00:35:21.632
It was three times the size
of the largest city

00:35:21.633 --> 00:35:24.166
in Prince William Sound, Valdez.

00:35:24.167 --> 00:35:27.899
This is an enormous workforce.

00:35:27.900 --> 00:35:30.900
[machinery rumbling]

00:35:41.733 --> 00:35:44.866
45% percent of the oil
that spilled

00:35:44.867 --> 00:35:47.166
stranded on the beaches
of Prince William Sound.

00:35:47.167 --> 00:35:50.932
Of that oil, Exxon cleaned up
maybe 3% of it.

00:35:50.933 --> 00:35:54.367
So most of the oil
stayed on the beaches.

00:36:05.333 --> 00:36:08.333
[engine humming]

00:36:16.667 --> 00:36:17.966
If you step back

00:36:17.967 --> 00:36:19.866
and just look at the sound
as a whole,

00:36:19.867 --> 00:36:22.866
it\'s, in general, recovering.

00:36:22.867 --> 00:36:25.366
But that\'s like looking
at a patient who has cancer

00:36:25.367 --> 00:36:28.066
and saying, \"Well, most
of the patient is okay.

00:36:28.067 --> 00:36:30.099
\"It\'s just this little cancer
here and there

00:36:30.100 --> 00:36:32.900
that\'s causing a problem.\"

00:36:56.100 --> 00:36:59.532
So oil residue
of the Exxon Valdez,

00:36:59.533 --> 00:37:04.100
18 years later.

00:37:08.433 --> 00:37:10.367
We should start getting
some rocks.

00:37:12.033 --> 00:37:14.866
- You want to smell it?

00:37:14.867 --> 00:37:17.466
- Wow.

00:37:17.467 --> 00:37:19.399
Definitely.

00:37:19.400 --> 00:37:20.632
- Pretty amazing.

00:37:20.633 --> 00:37:22.532
- I can smell it from here.

00:37:22.533 --> 00:37:23.732
- It\'s hard to believe

00:37:23.733 --> 00:37:26.166
that the oil spill happened
18 years ago.

00:37:26.167 --> 00:37:28.432
But already there\'s another
generation of kids

00:37:28.433 --> 00:37:30.066
coming up in the world.

00:37:30.067 --> 00:37:31.599
And especially here in Cordova,

00:37:31.600 --> 00:37:34.032
it\'s important that they know
what happened here.

00:37:34.033 --> 00:37:37.399
This is an event
that has national significance,

00:37:37.400 --> 00:37:39.899
significance
over the whole world.

00:37:39.900 --> 00:37:42.399
So the children here carry
the burden

00:37:42.400 --> 00:37:46.767
of explaining our story
to the world.

00:38:15.567 --> 00:38:18.066
- Here\'s the latest GAT data.

00:38:18.067 --> 00:38:19.067
- Cool.

00:38:19.068 --> 00:38:20.499
- Madograms.

00:38:20.500 --> 00:38:23.332
- So that\'s 36, right?

00:38:23.333 --> 00:38:26.032
My immediate reaction
when I heard the news

00:38:26.033 --> 00:38:27.466
that there was this spill

00:38:27.467 --> 00:38:30.732
was that this was going to be
an incredible opportunity

00:38:30.733 --> 00:38:33.232
to find out what oil
actually does.

00:38:33.233 --> 00:38:35.632
It was, like,
25 parts per billion,

00:38:35.633 --> 00:38:38.232
and everything else
was zero to six.

00:38:38.233 --> 00:38:39.366
It was hardly anything.

00:38:39.367 --> 00:38:41.066
In fact... these are
the other tissues here?

00:38:41.067 --> 00:38:42.432
- Yes.

00:38:42.433 --> 00:38:45.766
- You\'ve got this virtually
pristine environment.

00:38:45.767 --> 00:38:48.632
There\'s no other sources
of contaminants

00:38:48.633 --> 00:38:51.866
that are remotely
as big or as toxic

00:38:51.867 --> 00:38:54.866
as all that oil that got
released into the spill.

00:38:54.867 --> 00:38:57.066
And so right away I was thinking

00:38:57.067 --> 00:38:59.866
this is going to be great
scientifically,

00:38:59.867 --> 00:39:01.399
because we\'ll find out
a lot of stuff,

00:39:01.400 --> 00:39:03.767
despite how tragic it was.

00:39:19.767 --> 00:39:25.032
This black line right here
is Exxon Valdez oil

00:39:25.033 --> 00:39:28.332
that\'s accumulated
at the high tide level

00:39:28.333 --> 00:39:31.332
and stuck to this rock
with a bunch of pine needles.

00:39:31.333 --> 00:39:33.732
A lot of oil blew into this bay.

00:39:33.733 --> 00:39:36.532
The whole bay
was covered with oil.

00:39:36.533 --> 00:39:40.832
And one of the field
characteristics of the oil is,

00:39:40.833 --> 00:39:44.166
when you peel it off,
it\'s got a...

00:39:44.167 --> 00:39:48.033
It\'s kind of like
old bubble gum.

00:39:52.600 --> 00:39:54.732
Our lab has been active
in the field

00:39:54.733 --> 00:39:56.899
every year since 1989

00:39:56.900 --> 00:40:00.932
looking into various aspects
of the spill.

00:40:00.933 --> 00:40:03.899
We got interested
in trying to quantify

00:40:03.900 --> 00:40:05.332
how much oil was actually left

00:40:05.333 --> 00:40:06.666
and how persistent it was,

00:40:06.667 --> 00:40:10.666
because we would hear things
from Exxon corporation

00:40:10.667 --> 00:40:13.532
about how the impacted area
was smaller

00:40:13.533 --> 00:40:14.832
than a basketball court

00:40:14.833 --> 00:40:17.033
in a region
the size of Rhode Island.

00:40:27.667 --> 00:40:32.866
In 2001, we dug
almost 9,000 holes total

00:40:32.867 --> 00:40:34.599
over the course of the summer.

00:40:34.600 --> 00:40:36.432
And we sampled 91 beaches,

00:40:36.433 --> 00:40:40.433
and about half of them
had Exxon Valdez oil on them.

00:40:41.800 --> 00:40:44.666
Around 26 acres was impacted,

00:40:44.667 --> 00:40:50.399
and the mass was 55 tons of oil.

00:40:50.400 --> 00:40:53.566
If you had 55 tons
released today,

00:40:53.567 --> 00:40:56.466
that would be considered
a major spill.

00:40:56.467 --> 00:41:00.599
[gulls cawing]

00:41:00.600 --> 00:41:03.832
- The big question mark
in our minds in 1989 was,

00:41:03.833 --> 00:41:06.699
what\'s gonna happen
to the salmon?

00:41:06.700 --> 00:41:08.633
What\'s gonna happen
to the herring?

00:41:13.467 --> 00:41:15.232
What happens to the babies?

00:41:15.233 --> 00:41:18.199
What happens to the eggs
that are left on the beaches?

00:41:18.200 --> 00:41:19.899
Will they be healthy?

00:41:19.900 --> 00:41:23.566
Will they be able
to reproduce as adults?

00:41:23.567 --> 00:41:26.567
[water rushing]

00:41:28.333 --> 00:41:30.799
- Very early on after the spill,

00:41:30.800 --> 00:41:32.832
Exxon in particular
made measurements

00:41:32.833 --> 00:41:35.799
of oil contamination
in the stream sediments

00:41:35.800 --> 00:41:38.766
and found next to no oil,
which was not a big surprise,

00:41:38.767 --> 00:41:40.132
because the flow of this stream

00:41:40.133 --> 00:41:42.299
prevented oil from getting
in there in the first place.

00:41:42.300 --> 00:41:45.266
So but no one
was surprised by that.

00:41:45.267 --> 00:41:47.866
And the question was,

00:41:47.867 --> 00:41:50.267
how could pink salmon
be exposed to oil?

00:41:52.100 --> 00:41:53.932
Once the oil gets in there

00:41:53.933 --> 00:41:58.866
and the tide comes in,
it floods this whole area.

00:41:58.867 --> 00:42:01.399
And then when the tide goes out,

00:42:01.400 --> 00:42:05.332
the water can percolate
down through the sediments

00:42:05.333 --> 00:42:06.632
in this stream

00:42:06.633 --> 00:42:11.766
and actually flow into where
the salmon are spawning.

00:42:11.767 --> 00:42:15.366
And this beach is quite porous.

00:42:15.367 --> 00:42:18.766
If I pour some water on it,

00:42:18.767 --> 00:42:23.332
you\'ll see that it doesn\'t take

00:42:23.333 --> 00:42:28.932
but a few seconds for the water
to seep down into the sediments.

00:42:28.933 --> 00:42:31.499
And so what that showed
was that our water

00:42:31.500 --> 00:42:36.032
as the tide goes out
moves beneath the beach

00:42:36.033 --> 00:42:38.966
and flows past the oil
and the toxic components,

00:42:38.967 --> 00:42:41.966
the PAHs, can dissolve
into the water.

00:42:41.967 --> 00:42:46.367
And the water carries those PAHs
into the subsurface sediments.

00:42:52.333 --> 00:42:56.432
[water bubbling]

00:42:56.433 --> 00:42:59.599
One of the many effects
that PAHs have on fish

00:42:59.600 --> 00:43:01.466
is that it causes cancer,

00:43:01.467 --> 00:43:04.066
just like PAHs cause cancer
in humans

00:43:04.067 --> 00:43:07.833
when you smoke cigarettes.

00:43:13.833 --> 00:43:16.799
In the 1970s, we were...

00:43:16.800 --> 00:43:20.232
Underestimated how toxic
the oil was

00:43:20.233 --> 00:43:21.966
by at least a factor
of a hundred

00:43:21.967 --> 00:43:23.467
and possibly a thousand.

00:43:33.500 --> 00:43:36.500
[water rushing]

00:43:39.033 --> 00:43:42.033
[man shouting]

00:43:43.533 --> 00:43:44.766
- What we know now

00:43:44.767 --> 00:43:48.132
is that oil is much more toxic
than we thought,

00:43:48.133 --> 00:43:52.066
a thousand times more toxic
than we thought.

00:43:52.067 --> 00:43:53.532
And at the same time

00:43:53.533 --> 00:43:57.466
as the wildlife biologists
like Jeff Short

00:43:57.467 --> 00:43:59.866
were working up the data
and realizing

00:43:59.867 --> 00:44:02.932
PAHs are way more toxic
than we thought,

00:44:02.933 --> 00:44:05.766
the medical profession
was doing pretty much

00:44:05.767 --> 00:44:09.099
exactly the same thing
but with humans.

00:44:09.100 --> 00:44:12.100
[machinery humming]

00:44:14.367 --> 00:44:17.599
The cleanup went on
for three years.

00:44:17.600 --> 00:44:21.866
Exxon experimented
with different cleanup methods.

00:44:21.867 --> 00:44:23.632
[machinery whirring]

00:44:23.633 --> 00:44:27.266
Right away, I got phone calls
from people who were sick.

00:44:27.267 --> 00:44:30.899
And still now, 20 years later,

00:44:30.900 --> 00:44:33.499
I\'m getting phone calls
from sick workers

00:44:33.500 --> 00:44:37.632
who are seeking help.

00:44:37.633 --> 00:44:39.666
- No one knew
what they were doing out there.

00:44:39.667 --> 00:44:42.732
They were just thrown in
from all walks of life,

00:44:42.733 --> 00:44:44.932
and our equipment was lousy.

00:44:44.933 --> 00:44:48.799
And so you just had to work
with what you had.

00:44:48.800 --> 00:44:50.432
And like everybody else,

00:44:50.433 --> 00:44:54.566
I was wanting to do something
to help.

00:44:54.567 --> 00:44:56.899
And so I signed on and went out.

00:44:56.900 --> 00:44:58.132
[laughs]

00:44:58.133 --> 00:44:59.466
Much to my surprise,

00:44:59.467 --> 00:45:01.700
it wasn\'t exactly what I thought
it was going to be.

00:45:02.967 --> 00:45:05.832
Let me see some of these.

00:45:05.833 --> 00:45:07.766
This is the Bering Trader.

00:45:07.767 --> 00:45:11.099
This was the first boat
that I was on.

00:45:11.100 --> 00:45:12.532
And I ended up being

00:45:12.533 --> 00:45:17.832
general foreman of that one
and two more.

00:45:17.833 --> 00:45:23.766
On the Bering Trader,
there was 180 people.

00:45:23.767 --> 00:45:28.299
They would do their work
of spraying every day

00:45:28.300 --> 00:45:30.567
12 hours, 16 hours a day.

00:45:33.567 --> 00:45:36.566
It was like
a war zone out there.

00:45:36.567 --> 00:45:39.266
[steam hissing]

00:45:39.267 --> 00:45:44.833
And that steam is coming up
all over everywhere.

00:45:48.800 --> 00:45:52.199
Everybody who came
through my area to go to work,

00:45:52.200 --> 00:45:57.399
I would feel responsible
for their welfare.

00:45:57.400 --> 00:45:58.766
They were weary.

00:45:58.767 --> 00:46:00.532
They were coughing,
and it was constant,

00:46:00.533 --> 00:46:03.366
and even headaches
and upset stomachs.

00:46:03.367 --> 00:46:08.232
It had... gave you all
the symptoms of a cold.

00:46:08.233 --> 00:46:10.066
The energy level was down.

00:46:10.067 --> 00:46:11.232
They were moping,

00:46:11.233 --> 00:46:13.166
and this was an occurrence
all the time.

00:46:13.167 --> 00:46:16.966
[people murmuring]

00:46:16.967 --> 00:46:18.732
I thought that was the flu,

00:46:18.733 --> 00:46:19.733
but it just lingered,

00:46:19.734 --> 00:46:20.832
and everybody kept it

00:46:20.833 --> 00:46:22.799
for the whole time
that we were there.

00:46:22.800 --> 00:46:25.800
[steam hissing]

00:46:30.567 --> 00:46:31.999
- What happened was,

00:46:32.000 --> 00:46:36.832
pressurized hot water wash
hit the beach with such force

00:46:36.833 --> 00:46:39.632
that it bounced the oil
up into the air,

00:46:39.633 --> 00:46:41.499
and people breathed it.

00:46:41.500 --> 00:46:44.966
So people were breathing
essentially whole oil droplets.

00:46:44.967 --> 00:46:48.199
But in those whole oil droplets
was PAHs,

00:46:48.200 --> 00:46:52.199
called polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons.

00:46:52.200 --> 00:46:54.132
These PAHs are now known

00:46:54.133 --> 00:46:58.432
to be extraordinarily toxic
to people, just ordinary people,

00:46:58.433 --> 00:47:00.066
not even beach cleanup workers.

00:47:00.067 --> 00:47:03.999
So the beach cleanup workers
were at risk of a megadose

00:47:04.000 --> 00:47:07.900
during their cleanup work.

00:47:09.167 --> 00:47:11.599
- I was always getting
bronchitis.

00:47:11.600 --> 00:47:13.099
And it would not go away.

00:47:13.100 --> 00:47:14.699
I was coughing, my chest.

00:47:14.700 --> 00:47:16.732
And I was always on medication.

00:47:16.733 --> 00:47:20.466
I had never...
I had been healthy all my life.

00:47:20.467 --> 00:47:23.499
Going from someone
who was very outdoorsy,

00:47:23.500 --> 00:47:24.599
working in the garden,

00:47:24.600 --> 00:47:30.766
to having to minimize my actions

00:47:30.767 --> 00:47:34.232
has really been
a step down for me.

00:47:34.233 --> 00:47:39.332
And the most important thing
that Exxon felt at that time

00:47:39.333 --> 00:47:42.066
was just to make
a public appearance

00:47:42.067 --> 00:47:45.567
of cleaning the oil,
and they didn\'t care.

00:47:48.833 --> 00:47:54.732
Because if they had,
they would have...

00:47:54.733 --> 00:47:59.433
they would have
taken care of us better.

00:48:04.533 --> 00:48:07.899
- I think Exxon put people
in harm\'s way

00:48:07.900 --> 00:48:11.066
because they had
to do something,

00:48:11.067 --> 00:48:14.432
and to have a big powerful
corporation mobilize

00:48:14.433 --> 00:48:16.732
so many thousands of people
and so much equipment

00:48:16.733 --> 00:48:18.732
and manpower, it looked good.

00:48:18.733 --> 00:48:20.699
It played well
with the American public.

00:48:20.700 --> 00:48:24.767
\"Exxon is out there trying to do
something, yeah.\"

00:48:25.867 --> 00:48:27.466
- What it is,
you can see at the top.

00:48:27.467 --> 00:48:33.032
It\'s a list of employees
by name, all task force.

00:48:33.033 --> 00:48:35.832
- I discovered Exxon\'s
own medical data

00:48:35.833 --> 00:48:40.066
showing that there was
a total of 6,722 workers

00:48:40.067 --> 00:48:43.166
who had filed upper respiratory
illness claims

00:48:43.167 --> 00:48:47.499
during the 1989 cleanup alone.

00:48:47.500 --> 00:48:52.299
This is, in my mind,
a poisoning epidemic.

00:48:52.300 --> 00:48:55.399
And Exxon knew,
as do all the corporations,

00:48:55.400 --> 00:48:59.566
that America\'s safety standards
for workers

00:48:59.567 --> 00:49:03.999
really don\'t cover
chemical illnesses,

00:49:04.000 --> 00:49:05.199
chemical-induced illnesses.

00:49:05.200 --> 00:49:06.466
It\'s very weak.

00:49:06.467 --> 00:49:09.599
So Exxon thought,
\"Maybe all these people go home,

00:49:09.600 --> 00:49:11.032
\"and they\'ll get better.

00:49:11.033 --> 00:49:12.800
Maybe we\'ll never
hear from them again.\"

00:49:56.933 --> 00:49:59.166
- This is myself.

00:49:59.167 --> 00:50:01.199
- You look pretty healthy there,
Richard.

00:50:01.200 --> 00:50:04.999
- Yeah, I was feeling
pretty good back in them days.

00:50:05.000 --> 00:50:08.466
My name
is Captain Richard D. Nagel,

00:50:08.467 --> 00:50:10.566
and I\'m 51 years old.

00:50:10.567 --> 00:50:13.032
I was a master captain.

00:50:13.033 --> 00:50:17.666
I ran several crews for Exxon

00:50:17.667 --> 00:50:20.267
during the Exxon Valdez
oil spill.

00:50:22.100 --> 00:50:25.399
This is the Pegasus, the vessel
that I ran for Exxon.

00:50:25.400 --> 00:50:26.400
And as you can see,

00:50:26.401 --> 00:50:27.732
here is her tank of inipol

00:50:27.733 --> 00:50:31.067
that we used to spray
the beaches.

00:50:34.733 --> 00:50:37.432
The inipol was supposed to be
a fertilizer

00:50:37.433 --> 00:50:41.232
that went on the crude
and dissolved it

00:50:41.233 --> 00:50:44.432
and sank down to the bottom.

00:50:44.433 --> 00:50:48.866
Even though inipol
was supposedly used

00:50:48.867 --> 00:50:52.266
like honey to stick to rocks,
it wouldn\'t stick to rocks.

00:50:52.267 --> 00:50:54.300
It would float
on top of the water.

00:50:57.433 --> 00:51:00.966
In this case, I asked Exxon,

00:51:00.967 --> 00:51:03.899
\"Is it being also strained out

00:51:03.900 --> 00:51:05.366
when people are drinking
the water

00:51:05.367 --> 00:51:06.766
and bathing with the water?\"

00:51:06.767 --> 00:51:10.733
And they said,
\"Don\'t worry about it.\"

00:51:12.367 --> 00:51:14.166
There are times,

00:51:14.167 --> 00:51:15.966
breaks and stuff at night
we\'d catch halibut,

00:51:15.967 --> 00:51:21.267
and we\'d clean them right there
by the tank.

00:51:22.400 --> 00:51:23.400
- Wait, hang on.

00:51:23.400 --> 00:51:24.400
You were fishing?

00:51:24.401 --> 00:51:25.466
- Yeah.

00:51:25.467 --> 00:51:28.432
- And you did what
with this halibut?

00:51:28.433 --> 00:51:29.532
- We ate it.

00:51:29.533 --> 00:51:31.432
- But you filleted it
on the deck?

00:51:31.433 --> 00:51:33.366
- Yeah, right next to the tank
of inipol.

00:51:33.367 --> 00:51:37.066
- Did inipol ever spill
on the deck?

00:51:37.067 --> 00:51:38.733
- Oh, yeah, lots of times.

00:51:41.233 --> 00:51:42.699
- Well, Richard,
that doesn\'t seem...

00:51:42.700 --> 00:51:44.632
- We didn\'t...
We didn\'t think it was...

00:51:44.633 --> 00:51:45.966
Had anything wrong with it.

00:51:45.967 --> 00:51:47.699
- Why did you think that?

00:51:47.700 --> 00:51:50.632
- Well, Exxon said the chemicals
weren\'t harm...

00:51:50.633 --> 00:51:53.832
Harmless to us at all.

00:51:53.833 --> 00:51:56.833
[water splashing]

00:51:57.967 --> 00:51:59.532
- You\'ve had a super day.

00:51:59.533 --> 00:52:02.566
- A super day of fish.

00:52:02.567 --> 00:52:05.566
[engines rumbling]

00:52:05.567 --> 00:52:07.232
[laughter]

00:52:07.233 --> 00:52:09.032
[cheers and applause]

00:52:09.033 --> 00:52:10.332
- Hey!

00:52:10.333 --> 00:52:13.033
[all talking at once]

00:52:18.167 --> 00:52:20.599
- Right there,
\"a physician immediately.

00:52:20.600 --> 00:52:24.332
\"If swallowed, induce vomiting.\"

00:52:24.333 --> 00:52:27.332
- \"Danger: harmful if swallowed,

00:52:27.333 --> 00:52:28.999
\"inhaled or absorbed
through skin,

00:52:29.000 --> 00:52:30.666
\"causes eye irritation,

00:52:30.667 --> 00:52:34.432
\"affects central nervous system,
blood and blood-forming organs,

00:52:34.433 --> 00:52:37.132
\"kidneys, liver,
and lymphoid system.

00:52:37.133 --> 00:52:39.632
\"Combustible liquid and vapor.

00:52:39.633 --> 00:52:44.000
\"May cause irritation to skin
and respiratory tract.\"

00:53:09.067 --> 00:53:12.067
- Oh.

00:53:31.667 --> 00:53:35.632
- I\'m not a medical doctor,
but I am a toxicologist.

00:53:35.633 --> 00:53:38.432
And what I believe
is that Richard Nagel

00:53:38.433 --> 00:53:41.632
was exposed to a chemical,
inipol,

00:53:41.633 --> 00:53:45.399
through fumes
that went in through his brain

00:53:45.400 --> 00:53:48.132
and attacked the limbic system
of his brain

00:53:48.133 --> 00:53:49.666
and his nervous system

00:53:49.667 --> 00:53:53.566
so that after the initial
exposure, it could...

00:53:53.567 --> 00:53:56.666
These illnesses could manifest
anywhere in his body,

00:53:56.667 --> 00:54:00.399
like what Richard has:
blood disorders,

00:54:00.400 --> 00:54:01.566
kidney disorders,

00:54:01.567 --> 00:54:03.566
central nervous
system disorders,

00:54:03.567 --> 00:54:05.066
respiratory problems.

00:54:05.067 --> 00:54:07.899
It could be any of those things
or other things,

00:54:07.900 --> 00:54:11.266
like his inability
to metabolize calcium properly.

00:54:11.267 --> 00:54:12.932
That\'s what he\'s fighting,

00:54:12.933 --> 00:54:14.832
just a suite of different
illnesses

00:54:14.833 --> 00:54:16.832
that traditional medical doctors

00:54:16.833 --> 00:54:19.332
have no idea how all these
things are connected.

00:54:19.333 --> 00:54:21.699
But they\'re connected through
the route of inhale...

00:54:21.700 --> 00:54:23.032
The route of exposure,

00:54:23.033 --> 00:54:25.999
and the actual solvent
that he was exposed to,

00:54:26.000 --> 00:54:28.799
which directly attacks
the nervous system.

00:54:28.800 --> 00:54:32.466
So your quality of life
basically has been reduced to...

00:54:32.467 --> 00:54:33.467
- Taking pills.

00:54:33.468 --> 00:54:34.832
- Taking pills and patches.

00:54:34.833 --> 00:54:38.500
- Right.

00:54:44.167 --> 00:54:45.599
Well, I have contacted

00:54:45.600 --> 00:54:48.799
probably 400 or 500 law firms
over the years,

00:54:48.800 --> 00:54:52.200
and nobody will represent me
against Exxon.

00:54:54.100 --> 00:54:55.432
And I get in my computer

00:54:55.433 --> 00:54:58.499
and start sending emails
to my senators and...

00:54:58.500 --> 00:55:04.999
And Congress and governors
and EPA and everyone else.

00:55:05.000 --> 00:55:07.899
I get emailed back
from these people,

00:55:07.900 --> 00:55:10.699
and they tell me there\'s nothing
they can do about it.

00:55:10.700 --> 00:55:16.167
Nobody is interested whatsoever
at all.

00:55:20.333 --> 00:55:28.199
My biggest regret is not knowing
what was in the chemicals,

00:55:28.200 --> 00:55:29.366
for I feel bad about it,

00:55:29.367 --> 00:55:33.632
because these other people
trusted me,

00:55:33.633 --> 00:55:36.532
these beach workers,
pontoon workers.

00:55:36.533 --> 00:55:40.366
They all trusted me,
because I was a master captain.

00:55:40.367 --> 00:55:42.766
And I should\'ve known.

00:55:42.767 --> 00:55:45.599
They asked me several times,
\"Is this stuff safe, Captain?

00:55:45.600 --> 00:55:47.799
\"Is this stuff safe?\"

00:55:47.800 --> 00:55:50.566
And I\'d tell them, \"Yes, there\'s
no problem with this.

00:55:50.567 --> 00:55:52.166
\"Just go out there
and spray the beaches.

00:55:52.167 --> 00:55:53.900
\"Don\'t even worry about it.
It\'s safe.\"

00:55:55.767 --> 00:55:58.532
My biggest regret is,
they\'re all sick now.

00:55:58.533 --> 00:56:01.132
Many have probably died.

00:56:01.133 --> 00:56:02.399
- Cheese!

00:56:02.400 --> 00:56:04.832
[camera shutter clicks]

00:56:04.833 --> 00:56:09.000
- Who knows what\'s happened
to these people now.

00:56:10.200 --> 00:56:12.100
I feel bad about it every day.

00:56:20.633 --> 00:56:23.633
[gulls cawing]

00:56:28.033 --> 00:56:30.466
- The first indication
of long-term harm

00:56:30.467 --> 00:56:33.666
in this community was 1991

00:56:33.667 --> 00:56:39.099
when the pink salmon run timing
was completely thrown off.

00:56:39.100 --> 00:56:43.066
The fish all came flooding in
within two weeks,

00:56:43.067 --> 00:56:47.299
and they were
very poor quality fish.

00:56:47.300 --> 00:56:50.299
1992 comes along.

00:56:50.300 --> 00:56:53.066
Suddenly there\'s no capacity,
\'cause there\'s no fish.

00:56:53.067 --> 00:56:55.999
The pink salmon
just didn\'t appear.

00:56:56.000 --> 00:56:58.766
They never appeared.

00:56:58.767 --> 00:57:01.599
1993 rolls around.

00:57:01.600 --> 00:57:04.699
It was like one-two shocks
in this community.

00:57:04.700 --> 00:57:07.332
The first punch came in April

00:57:07.333 --> 00:57:12.133
when the herring fishery
completely collapsed.

00:57:21.833 --> 00:57:25.533
- The oil spill essentially
destroyed my herring business.

00:57:28.133 --> 00:57:31.632
I had started in \'72
a small business

00:57:31.633 --> 00:57:35.566
where I would get
herring roe on kelp.

00:57:35.567 --> 00:57:40.132
We had up to 50 people,
several barges,

00:57:40.133 --> 00:57:43.632
and it was
a fairly big business.

00:57:43.633 --> 00:57:47.632
That was probably half
to two-thirds of my income

00:57:47.633 --> 00:57:51.333
through the \'80s.

00:57:56.233 --> 00:58:00.432
My income went from
around a $150,000 a year

00:58:00.433 --> 00:58:03.899
to where I just couldn\'t
make it financially

00:58:03.900 --> 00:58:06.633
and finally went under.

00:58:17.167 --> 00:58:21.299
- In 1993, the herring came back
to spawn as usual,

00:58:21.300 --> 00:58:24.032
and they were diseased.

00:58:24.033 --> 00:58:29.599
And only 30%
of the run showed up to spawn.

00:58:29.600 --> 00:58:33.366
[water bubbling]

00:58:33.367 --> 00:58:36.766
It was a solid stripe of herring

00:58:36.767 --> 00:58:39.132
swimming in circles
at the surface

00:58:39.133 --> 00:58:40.999
with seagulls
as far as you could see

00:58:41.000 --> 00:58:42.266
feeding on them.

00:58:42.267 --> 00:58:45.732
- We just entered Rocky Bay

00:58:45.733 --> 00:58:47.232
coming around the point
from Zaikof.

00:58:47.233 --> 00:58:51.399
And up ahead there must be
2,000 or 3,000 gulls.

00:58:51.400 --> 00:58:54.599
And in the background you can
see all the spawn

00:58:54.600 --> 00:58:57.832
that\'s been washed up ashore.

00:58:57.833 --> 00:59:00.332
- And when you went down
and looked at them,

00:59:00.333 --> 00:59:03.532
they had white spots,
and they were bleeding,

00:59:03.533 --> 00:59:07.400
and they were swimming sideways
and upside down and in circles.

00:59:10.167 --> 00:59:11.732
I don\'t mean one or two fish.

00:59:11.733 --> 00:59:14.799
I mean millions of fish
in a stripe,

00:59:14.800 --> 00:59:16.432
probably, like I said,

00:59:16.433 --> 00:59:20.600
five miles long and thousands
of tons of fish.

00:59:25.033 --> 00:59:29.599
It was a disease called VHS,
viral hemorrhagic septicemia,

00:59:29.600 --> 00:59:35.199
and we had never seen it
in the sound before.

00:59:35.200 --> 00:59:40.332
The only other VHS outbreak
had been one in B.C.

00:59:40.333 --> 00:59:43.367
that had been related
to an oil spill.

00:59:50.933 --> 00:59:54.866
What we think
may have happened is,

00:59:54.867 --> 00:59:58.366
the oil spill caused
immunosuppression,

00:59:58.367 --> 01:00:02.933
which means their immune systems
were damaged.

01:00:08.033 --> 01:00:11.632
From the studies that we did
ending in \'92,

01:00:11.633 --> 01:00:15.832
we looked
at successful reproduction

01:00:15.833 --> 01:00:17.666
from the oiled
and unoiled areas.

01:00:17.667 --> 01:00:23.132
We saw a doubling and tripling
of deformities in larvae

01:00:23.133 --> 01:00:28.433
once they hatched
from the oiled areas.

01:00:35.367 --> 01:00:40.599
I view Exxon as just one factor
among several

01:00:40.600 --> 01:00:44.199
that contributed
to the disease event

01:00:44.200 --> 01:00:47.199
which caused the population
to crash.

01:00:47.200 --> 01:00:51.066
Would it have happened
without the oil spill?

01:00:51.067 --> 01:00:52.067
I don\'t think so.

01:01:09.500 --> 01:01:13.366
- Sam, go that direction.

01:01:13.367 --> 01:01:16.367
[engines rumbling]

01:01:19.933 --> 01:01:23.399
So I have to keep the tow
on the boat just right

01:01:23.400 --> 01:01:25.166
so that the net
will come aboard right

01:01:25.167 --> 01:01:28.232
and the fish will have room
to swim,

01:01:28.233 --> 01:01:30.833
and they don\'t get
out of the net.

01:01:43.767 --> 01:01:45.499
- We were able
to hold our permit

01:01:45.500 --> 01:01:49.800
for about four years
after the spill.

01:01:52.967 --> 01:01:55.532
The last year,
we were paid $800,

01:01:55.533 --> 01:01:58.232
and we had a $19,000 payment.

01:01:58.233 --> 01:02:01.666
So we ended up
selling that permit

01:02:01.667 --> 01:02:03.399
that we paid $300,000 for.

01:02:03.400 --> 01:02:05.232
We sold it for $47,000.

01:02:05.233 --> 01:02:07.166
And they continued to decline
in value

01:02:07.167 --> 01:02:09.732
and got as low
as about $12,000 or $15,000.

01:02:09.733 --> 01:02:13.032
We got very close, personally,
to bankruptcy.

01:02:13.033 --> 01:02:14.832
We were talking
to a bankruptcy attorney.

01:02:14.833 --> 01:02:19.399
And in the end,
I found another...

01:02:19.400 --> 01:02:23.066
I was able to become the town\'s
one and only real estate broker,

01:02:23.067 --> 01:02:25.732
and I only sell about five
or ten houses a year,

01:02:25.733 --> 01:02:27.066
\'cause the market is so tiny.

01:02:27.067 --> 01:02:28.999
But that\'s enough to sustain us.

01:02:29.000 --> 01:02:30.199
And that is the only reason

01:02:30.200 --> 01:02:32.532
we\'ve been able to stay
in Cordova.

01:02:32.533 --> 01:02:33.766
Go all the way around again.

01:02:33.767 --> 01:02:35.866
- All the way around again.

01:02:35.867 --> 01:02:37.799
[engine rumbling]

01:02:37.800 --> 01:02:40.833
Make a loop.

01:02:41.967 --> 01:02:44.967
Sam, you got to keep going.

01:02:48.933 --> 01:02:49.933
Got it.

01:02:49.934 --> 01:02:54.232
[machinery whirring]

01:02:54.233 --> 01:02:57.599
I haven\'t had my own boat
and permit since, you know,

01:02:57.600 --> 01:02:59.899
we had to give it up
after the spill.

01:02:59.900 --> 01:03:01.399
Probably most every year

01:03:01.400 --> 01:03:07.899
I have fished with someone else
as crew member on their boat.

01:03:07.900 --> 01:03:15.432
Not having my own boat,
actually, it\'s been...

01:03:15.433 --> 01:03:17.266
It\'s been...

01:03:17.267 --> 01:03:19.933
You know, that many years
of kind of agonizing.

01:03:21.033 --> 01:03:23.099
- Sam\'s a highlighter...
High liner.

01:03:23.100 --> 01:03:25.532
You know what a high liner is?

01:03:25.533 --> 01:03:26.566
A wife with a good...

01:03:26.567 --> 01:03:28.432
A guy who has a wife
with a good job,

01:03:28.433 --> 01:03:31.399
a fisherman who has a wife
with a good job.

01:03:31.400 --> 01:03:32.400
That\'s a high liner.

01:03:32.401 --> 01:03:33.532
- I\'m a high liner.

01:03:33.533 --> 01:03:36.132
Yeah.

01:03:36.133 --> 01:03:37.967
Well.

01:04:01.500 --> 01:04:02.899
- Before the oil spill,

01:04:02.900 --> 01:04:05.399
Cordova was a much more
prosperous town.

01:04:05.400 --> 01:04:11.432
There was a lot of money here
relative to what there is now.

01:04:11.433 --> 01:04:13.799
This city definitely
doesn\'t have

01:04:13.800 --> 01:04:18.533
the income stream that it had
prior to the spill.

01:04:24.900 --> 01:04:27.732
Most fishermen here do not make
enough money on their own,

01:04:27.733 --> 01:04:30.632
one income, to buy a home.

01:04:30.633 --> 01:04:33.132
There is no way, for instance,

01:04:33.133 --> 01:04:40.532
my husband could
purchase a home on his own.

01:04:40.533 --> 01:04:43.532
You asked my husband how much
he expects to make this year,

01:04:43.533 --> 01:04:45.832
and he told you $20,000.

01:04:45.833 --> 01:04:51.367
I don\'t think he\'s made $20,000
since the oil spill.

01:05:10.700 --> 01:05:13.700
[sparks crackling]

01:05:53.400 --> 01:05:56.400
[camera shutter clicks]

01:05:58.067 --> 01:06:00.432
- At the time of the spill,
as I recall,

01:06:00.433 --> 01:06:02.166
this facility was being operated

01:06:02.167 --> 01:06:07.299
by Chugach Native Association,
and they went bankrupt.

01:06:07.300 --> 01:06:11.599
[birds cawing]

01:06:11.600 --> 01:06:14.532
This was a monstrous enterprise,

01:06:14.533 --> 01:06:16.999
going back into the late 1800s.

01:06:17.000 --> 01:06:22.399
It\'s got a history
that it was a big central hub

01:06:22.400 --> 01:06:24.732
for the fishing community.

01:06:24.733 --> 01:06:28.799
It was the biggest operation
here in Cordova.

01:06:28.800 --> 01:06:31.800
[birds screeching]

01:06:36.633 --> 01:06:40.866
So this yard was boats
that couldn\'t function

01:06:40.867 --> 01:06:43.066
in the fishery
after the collapse

01:06:43.067 --> 01:06:48.233
of the resource
in 1992 and 1993.

01:06:52.300 --> 01:06:54.566
I like to come out
to this old boneyard

01:06:54.567 --> 01:06:58.032
and take pictures and reminisce

01:06:58.033 --> 01:07:00.666
about some of the stories,
I think,

01:07:00.667 --> 01:07:03.432
behind the boats and
the captains that owned them,

01:07:03.433 --> 01:07:06.632
guys I knew who were
here years ago.

01:07:06.633 --> 01:07:08.132
[camera shutter clicks]

01:07:08.133 --> 01:07:14.332
Now out of a fleet of 275 boats,

01:07:14.333 --> 01:07:16.999
there\'s only about 150 maximum

01:07:17.000 --> 01:07:19.732
that are actually
fishing anymore.

01:07:19.733 --> 01:07:23.300
So you know, you\'ve lost
half the fleet, basically.

01:07:28.800 --> 01:07:30.399
- Since the spill,

01:07:30.400 --> 01:07:32.566
Cordova has slipped from being

01:07:32.567 --> 01:07:35.066
about the seventh leading port
in the nation

01:07:35.067 --> 01:07:38.832
for ex-vessel value of money
paid to fishermen

01:07:38.833 --> 01:07:42.233
to as low as 47th in the nation.

01:07:49.333 --> 01:07:50.333
[air horn blaring]

01:07:50.334 --> 01:07:52.332
[people shouting]

01:07:52.333 --> 01:07:54.066
- Go, go!

01:07:54.067 --> 01:07:57.832
- Come on, come on!

01:07:57.833 --> 01:07:59.299
[crowd cheering]

01:07:59.300 --> 01:08:01.532
- Into the water.

01:08:01.533 --> 01:08:04.533
[crowd cheering]

01:08:09.267 --> 01:08:13.399
- Cordova was
a very vibrant community,

01:08:13.400 --> 01:08:16.299
a lot of active participation.

01:08:16.300 --> 01:08:18.999
[applause]

01:08:19.000 --> 01:08:21.266
Before the oil spill,

01:08:21.267 --> 01:08:23.999
Cordova had tremendous amounts
of social capital,

01:08:24.000 --> 01:08:25.266
probably more so than you\'d find

01:08:25.267 --> 01:08:27.999
in the average
American community.

01:08:28.000 --> 01:08:31.000
[bright marching band music]

01:08:46.100 --> 01:08:50.432
We have began studying it
from day one.

01:08:50.433 --> 01:08:51.999
To my knowledge,

01:08:52.000 --> 01:08:55.066
this is the longest running
social science study

01:08:55.067 --> 01:08:58.399
of a technological disaster
in history.

01:08:58.400 --> 01:08:59.400
- Whoo!

01:09:01.467 --> 01:09:06.166
- Now Cordova,
it is a worn-down community.

01:09:06.167 --> 01:09:10.566
It\'s a community
that is in a spiral

01:09:10.567 --> 01:09:14.099
that it\'s unable to get out of,
this interminable,

01:09:14.100 --> 01:09:19.400
unending saga of spill
and the litigation.

01:09:25.033 --> 01:09:27.766
- This set of notebooks

01:09:27.767 --> 01:09:31.066
represent only
the formal pleadings

01:09:31.067 --> 01:09:33.532
that were filed

01:09:33.533 --> 01:09:35.732
with the United States
district court

01:09:35.733 --> 01:09:39.432
during the litigation, motions,

01:09:39.433 --> 01:09:41.099
requests for hearings,
et cetera.

01:09:41.100 --> 01:09:44.699
What this does not include
are the tens of thousands

01:09:44.700 --> 01:09:47.466
of pages of depositions
and the million...

01:09:47.467 --> 01:09:48.666
10 million actually...

01:09:48.667 --> 01:09:50.466
Documents that were screened
in conjunction

01:09:50.467 --> 01:09:51.732
with preparation for the trial.

01:09:51.733 --> 01:09:54.400
This is just the official
court record.

01:09:58.800 --> 01:10:01.999
Exxon, I know...
I have actual testimony...

01:10:02.000 --> 01:10:10.000
Has spent over $400 million
as of 1996 in legal fees alone,

01:10:10.667 --> 01:10:14.466
and I would guess they\'ve spent
another $200 million or more

01:10:14.467 --> 01:10:18.033
in just legal fees
since that date.

01:10:20.200 --> 01:10:23.200
[clock ticking]

01:11:19.800 --> 01:11:21.632
all: Exxon is guilty!

01:11:21.633 --> 01:11:23.766
Exxon is guilty!

01:11:23.767 --> 01:11:25.966
Justice for our people!

01:11:25.967 --> 01:11:27.666
Justice for our land!

01:11:27.667 --> 01:11:29.866
Exxon is guilty!

01:11:29.867 --> 01:11:32.132
Justice for our people!

01:11:32.133 --> 01:11:34.266
Justice for our land!

01:11:34.267 --> 01:11:36.266
Justice for our people!

01:11:36.267 --> 01:11:39.366
Justice for our land!

01:11:39.367 --> 01:11:42.367
[horn sounding]

01:11:51.867 --> 01:11:54.566
- We\'re camping out in front
of the Supreme Court building

01:11:54.567 --> 01:11:57.966
in order to be in line
to get seats

01:11:57.967 --> 01:12:01.100
so we can hear the trial today,
the Supreme Court trial.

01:12:02.500 --> 01:12:05.499
- We\'ve been involved
in this for almost 20 years,

01:12:05.500 --> 01:12:08.499
wanting justice for this
devastating event that happened

01:12:08.500 --> 01:12:10.266
to our people and our lands.

01:12:10.267 --> 01:12:13.032
And we hope that the justice
system of the United States

01:12:13.033 --> 01:12:15.499
will do the right thing
by the harm that was caused

01:12:15.500 --> 01:12:17.167
to our people and our resources.

01:12:19.533 --> 01:12:22.132
- Exxon, you need to see
the face of a victim,

01:12:22.133 --> 01:12:24.832
and so that\'s why I\'m here.

01:12:24.833 --> 01:12:27.433
That\'s why we\'re here.

01:12:29.833 --> 01:12:32.099
- It\'s still another step
on the journey.

01:12:32.100 --> 01:12:34.099
It doesn\'t feel
like there\'s closure yet.

01:12:34.100 --> 01:12:36.899
We don\'t know where
this will take us.

01:12:36.900 --> 01:12:39.666
We\'ve been feeling like,

01:12:39.667 --> 01:12:41.966
\"It\'s gonna be two more years;
it\'s gonna be two more years,\"

01:12:41.967 --> 01:12:44.299
every court hearing we\'ve had.

01:12:44.300 --> 01:12:47.533
And still this seems like
another court hearing to me.

01:12:49.667 --> 01:12:53.632
- It should never take any case
18 years to progress

01:12:53.633 --> 01:12:56.166
to a Supreme Court argument.

01:12:56.167 --> 01:12:58.032
I think the lesson that you
learn is,

01:12:58.033 --> 01:13:00.432
if you\'re big enough
and powerful enough,

01:13:00.433 --> 01:13:02.366
you can bring the system
to a halt.

01:13:02.367 --> 01:13:03.999
And that\'s what\'s happened here.

01:13:04.000 --> 01:13:05.866
And as a representative
of the system,

01:13:05.867 --> 01:13:07.599
I feel badly about that.

01:13:07.600 --> 01:13:09.132
And I\'ve told the fishermen

01:13:09.133 --> 01:13:12.032
over the course of the last
12 or 13 years,

01:13:12.033 --> 01:13:14.666
I\'ve apologized to them
for the system.

01:13:14.667 --> 01:13:17.032
We moved it along
as fast as we can.

01:13:17.033 --> 01:13:21.532
You have an opponent like Exxon,
and it happens.

01:13:21.533 --> 01:13:22.533
And it\'s wrong.

01:13:27.267 --> 01:13:30.566
- Exxon had a judgment against
them for $5 billion.

01:13:30.567 --> 01:13:32.299
At that time,

01:13:32.300 --> 01:13:34.566
they told us they could write
a check for that amount.

01:13:34.567 --> 01:13:36.132
But had they done so,

01:13:36.133 --> 01:13:39.532
they would\'ve taken $5 billion
out of their regular

01:13:39.533 --> 01:13:41.632
moneymaking investment
activities

01:13:41.633 --> 01:13:43.532
operating their oil business

01:13:43.533 --> 01:13:45.932
and would not have had
that money to use

01:13:45.933 --> 01:13:48.033
to generate more money
in the oil business.

01:13:58.900 --> 01:14:01.866
And over the now 13 years

01:14:01.867 --> 01:14:04.632
since that $5 billion award
was made,

01:14:04.633 --> 01:14:06.166
which they haven\'t paid,

01:14:06.167 --> 01:14:11.032
they\'ve made $26 billion
in profit

01:14:11.033 --> 01:14:13.766
from having that $5 billion
to work with

01:14:13.767 --> 01:14:15.166
in their oil business,

01:14:15.167 --> 01:14:17.967
which should\'ve been
in the pockets of my claimants.

01:14:19.333 --> 01:14:23.499
- It\'s almost 20 years
since the spill.

01:14:23.500 --> 01:14:26.366
Exxon says,
\"You know, we cleaned it up.

01:14:26.367 --> 01:14:30.799
\"We paid a fine, and that\'s...
And you...

01:14:30.800 --> 01:14:34.999
\"we paid for the catch that you
lost in that year and the...

01:14:35.000 --> 01:14:37.166
\"we shouldn\'t have to pay
anymore.

01:14:37.167 --> 01:14:42.099
We in essence paid what the law
requires to make you whole.\"

01:14:42.100 --> 01:14:44.099
What would you...

01:14:44.100 --> 01:14:46.332
- Here\'s what Exxon calls clean.

01:14:46.333 --> 01:14:48.332
This is a beach from samples
that were collected.

01:14:48.333 --> 01:14:49.532
Can you hold this jar, please?

01:14:49.533 --> 01:14:50.533
- On Knight Island.

01:14:50.534 --> 01:14:51.966
- On Knight Island.

01:14:51.967 --> 01:14:54.966
If you smear this,
it gets all over your hands.

01:14:54.967 --> 01:14:59.266
This was from 17 years
after the spill in 2006.

01:14:59.267 --> 01:15:00.332
- Well, if Exxon paid

01:15:00.333 --> 01:15:01.932
the $2.5 billion
in punitive damages,

01:15:01.933 --> 01:15:03.566
would that get cleaned up?

01:15:03.567 --> 01:15:06.032
- There\'s a lot more wrong
than the oil

01:15:06.033 --> 01:15:07.666
that\'s on our beaches.

01:15:07.667 --> 01:15:10.099
What $2.5 billion is gonna do

01:15:10.100 --> 01:15:12.466
is to help deter
the next oil spill

01:15:12.467 --> 01:15:15.966
and the one after that
and the one after that.

01:15:15.967 --> 01:15:18.632
It\'s also going to help
bring a little bit of closure

01:15:18.633 --> 01:15:20.932
to our lives,

01:15:20.933 --> 01:15:22.266
and it\'s also going to help us

01:15:22.267 --> 01:15:25.466
compensate
for long-term damages,

01:15:25.467 --> 01:15:27.299
which this trial never did.

01:15:27.300 --> 01:15:30.699
It\'s only compensated us
for short-term damages.

01:15:30.700 --> 01:15:32.699
Anybody else want
to add anything to that?

01:15:32.700 --> 01:15:35.700
[horns honking]

01:15:42.800 --> 01:15:46.266
- We all know that Exxon said
they would take care of you.

01:15:46.267 --> 01:15:47.799
They said,
\"Don\'t worry about it.

01:15:47.800 --> 01:15:48.899
\"You\'re lucky.

01:15:48.900 --> 01:15:50.232
You got Exxon here.\"

01:15:50.233 --> 01:15:53.766
We all know how that worked out.

01:15:53.767 --> 01:15:54.966
So we\'re here today.

01:15:54.967 --> 01:15:57.532
We\'re trying to remember
what happened,

01:15:57.533 --> 01:15:59.666
and we\'re also trying
to remember

01:15:59.667 --> 01:16:02.499
the 20% of the victims
of that oil spill

01:16:02.500 --> 01:16:03.966
that have already died.

01:16:03.967 --> 01:16:06.132
They didn\'t have a retirement.

01:16:06.133 --> 01:16:08.932
Their retirement went away
with that oil spill.

01:16:08.933 --> 01:16:12.766
They couldn\'t enjoy
their later years in life,

01:16:12.767 --> 01:16:15.799
because they weren\'t made whole
as they were told

01:16:15.800 --> 01:16:17.099
they were going to be
made whole.

01:16:17.100 --> 01:16:20.100
[horns blaring
and drums beating]

01:16:23.133 --> 01:16:24.799
- Sometimes I get
so angry in me,

01:16:24.800 --> 01:16:27.266
if you ask me how I felt
psychologically.

01:16:27.267 --> 01:16:30.766
It brings up some really ugly
shit from Vietnam.

01:16:30.767 --> 01:16:31.767
- Oh, yeah.

01:16:31.768 --> 01:16:33.166
- It\'s a real...

01:16:33.167 --> 01:16:35.366
It\'s a crappy thing for me
to have to go through.

01:16:35.367 --> 01:16:40.499
You\'re seeing 50 years
of an individual who\'s had...

01:16:40.500 --> 01:16:42.499
He\'s been crapped on twice.

01:16:42.500 --> 01:16:44.166
You know, he got crapped on
in Vietnam,

01:16:44.167 --> 01:16:47.066
and he got crapped on
in Prince William Sound.

01:16:47.067 --> 01:16:48.632
[horns blaring]

01:16:48.633 --> 01:16:52.366
- People have lost faith
in our justice system.

01:16:52.367 --> 01:16:55.033
They\'ve lost faith
in our government.

01:16:57.567 --> 01:16:59.632
Corporations cannot be trusted.

01:16:59.633 --> 01:17:01.732
The government can\'t be trusted.

01:17:01.733 --> 01:17:03.699
The court system
can\'t be trusted.

01:17:03.700 --> 01:17:07.367
And trust is a major component
of social capital.

01:17:09.067 --> 01:17:11.666
If you can\'t trust
the government,

01:17:11.667 --> 01:17:13.832
if you can\'t trust the economy,

01:17:13.833 --> 01:17:16.666
if you can\'t trust
the court system,

01:17:16.667 --> 01:17:18.066
who can you trust?

01:17:18.067 --> 01:17:19.067
- There we go.

01:17:19.067 --> 01:17:20.067
Right there.

01:17:20.068 --> 01:17:23.266
Very solemnly.

01:17:23.267 --> 01:17:25.932
And this community has suffered
so much through the years

01:17:25.933 --> 01:17:28.599
as a result of the Exxon Valdez.

01:17:28.600 --> 01:17:32.266
And I\'ve got a personal story
that right now

01:17:32.267 --> 01:17:35.199
at this point and time
I\'m just...

01:17:35.200 --> 01:17:37.766
I\'m just not...
I can\'t share right now

01:17:37.767 --> 01:17:39.599
at this moment in time.

01:17:39.600 --> 01:17:41.632
But I do have a personal story

01:17:41.633 --> 01:17:43.732
that\'s involved
with the oil spill.

01:17:43.733 --> 01:17:46.866
There we go.

01:17:46.867 --> 01:17:48.099
- A lot of people just choke up.

01:17:48.100 --> 01:17:50.532
They can\'t even talk about
the oil spill

01:17:50.533 --> 01:17:52.766
and how it\'s affected
their lives.

01:17:52.767 --> 01:17:56.866
Well, it\'s too painful.

01:17:56.867 --> 01:18:01.232
Many of the relationships
have been strained.

01:18:01.233 --> 01:18:03.367
Some didn\'t survive.

01:18:06.067 --> 01:18:08.566
It\'s such an irony
for me to sit here

01:18:08.567 --> 01:18:11.466
and tell you about the effects
of the oil spill,

01:18:11.467 --> 01:18:15.566
because truly, we are one
of the lucky families here.

01:18:15.567 --> 01:18:21.066
We found a wonderful niche
to support our family,

01:18:21.067 --> 01:18:24.666
and we raised two healthy
wonderful children here,

01:18:24.667 --> 01:18:29.566
and our life is actually
very good, wonderful

01:18:29.567 --> 01:18:32.832
compared to a lot of people.

01:18:32.833 --> 01:18:35.032
And part of why I\'m willing
to speak about it

01:18:35.033 --> 01:18:39.666
is because for many people
it\'s just too...

01:18:39.667 --> 01:18:41.267
Too difficult.

01:18:53.167 --> 01:18:57.699
- My understanding of the spill
was somewhat limited,

01:18:57.700 --> 01:19:00.299
because at that age, you don\'t
really have a good understanding

01:19:00.300 --> 01:19:03.032
of the consequences of things.

01:19:03.033 --> 01:19:06.932
And I was just, you know,
beginning my adult life,

01:19:06.933 --> 01:19:10.466
so I had the choice of,
you know,

01:19:10.467 --> 01:19:12.999
whether or not I wanted to stay
in the community or leave.

01:19:13.000 --> 01:19:14.899
And I chose to leave.

01:19:14.900 --> 01:19:21.499
- There was a lot of disruption
in the community.

01:19:21.500 --> 01:19:23.366
- There was amazing things
in Cordova,

01:19:23.367 --> 01:19:24.832
but none of us live there
anymore.

01:19:24.833 --> 01:19:26.499
Well, wait a minute,
this one does.

01:19:26.500 --> 01:19:27.599
- Yeah.

01:19:27.600 --> 01:19:29.666
- But my brothers,

01:19:29.667 --> 01:19:33.466
all three boys don\'t live there
any longer.

01:19:33.467 --> 01:19:37.499
- It created stresses
that weren\'t there before

01:19:37.500 --> 01:19:42.099
and financial stresses,
you know,

01:19:42.100 --> 01:19:45.132
the stress of losing
our way of life

01:19:45.133 --> 01:19:47.099
as we knew it then.

01:19:47.100 --> 01:19:50.232
- Do you think that the stress
of the oil spill

01:19:50.233 --> 01:19:51.332
and the aftereffects

01:19:51.333 --> 01:19:53.866
had any bearing
on our getting divorced?

01:19:53.867 --> 01:19:55.432
- Oh, certainly.

01:19:55.433 --> 01:19:56.566
- How is that?

01:19:56.567 --> 01:19:59.267
- Oh, I\'m not going into that.

01:20:20.867 --> 01:20:23.566
- Relative to other communities,

01:20:23.567 --> 01:20:26.466
the stress level in Cordova
is high

01:20:26.467 --> 01:20:30.766
and has remained high
over the last 18 years.

01:20:30.767 --> 01:20:32.799
You could say about 20% to 25%

01:20:32.800 --> 01:20:36.266
of the community
has a stress level

01:20:36.267 --> 01:20:39.666
that is comparable
to rape victims

01:20:39.667 --> 01:20:44.632
six months, two years
after the attack.

01:20:44.633 --> 01:20:46.032
We see this in terms

01:20:46.033 --> 01:20:48.799
of increases
in domestic violence,

01:20:48.800 --> 01:20:55.366
increases in alcohol use,
drug use,

01:20:55.367 --> 01:20:58.732
increases in suicides,

01:20:58.733 --> 01:21:03.332
lots of basically
dysfunctional behaviors

01:21:03.333 --> 01:21:05.199
on the part of individuals,
groups,

01:21:05.200 --> 01:21:08.132
and the entire community.

01:21:08.133 --> 01:21:11.133
[drum pounding]

01:21:20.267 --> 01:21:23.266
[splashing]

01:21:23.267 --> 01:21:26.267
[horns honking]

01:21:32.033 --> 01:21:38.532
I have here a newspaper clipping
from The Cordova Times.

01:21:38.533 --> 01:21:45.466
It\'s dated Thursday, May 20,
1993.

01:21:45.467 --> 01:21:47.832
\"The stress from Exxon,

01:21:47.833 --> 01:21:49.832
which brought about my financial
stress...\"

01:21:49.833 --> 01:21:52.566
- \"Was too much
to deal with alone.

01:21:52.567 --> 01:21:55.899
\"The end should be good,
and maybe my spirit will live.

01:21:55.900 --> 01:21:58.499
- \"I have a lot of fear
right now,

01:21:58.500 --> 01:22:01.199
\"but faith is all that\'s left.

01:22:01.200 --> 01:22:04.132
I wish I could\'ve done more good
for others...\"

01:22:04.133 --> 01:22:06.966
- \"But I guess my time is up.\"

01:22:06.967 --> 01:22:09.099
And then he put a revolver
to his head

01:22:09.100 --> 01:22:12.833
and pulled the trigger.

01:22:22.700 --> 01:22:28.466
- I have absolutely no doubt
in my mind

01:22:28.467 --> 01:22:32.532
after having spent two years
off and on

01:22:32.533 --> 01:22:34.132
interacting with Bobby

01:22:34.133 --> 01:22:38.566
that had the Exxon Valdez
oil spill not occurred,

01:22:38.567 --> 01:22:44.600
Bobby Van Brocklin
would be alive today.

01:22:46.200 --> 01:22:49.699
And Bobby Van Brocklin
is not the only person

01:22:49.700 --> 01:22:51.266
who has committed suicide

01:22:51.267 --> 01:22:56.066
because of troubles
and pressures and the stress

01:22:56.067 --> 01:23:00.099
caused by this oil spill
and the continuing litigation.

01:23:00.100 --> 01:23:03.532
I would say within Cordova

01:23:03.533 --> 01:23:05.399
there\'s been
at least 12 suicides

01:23:05.400 --> 01:23:07.199
that I can attribute

01:23:07.200 --> 01:23:13.967
to Exxon oil spill litigation
related issues.

01:23:41.667 --> 01:23:44.399
- From my experience
in the 30-plus years

01:23:44.400 --> 01:23:46.032
working on the pipeline,

01:23:46.033 --> 01:23:49.132
the only real change
has come about

01:23:49.133 --> 01:23:53.332
by citizens forcing
the government to do their job.

01:23:53.333 --> 01:23:56.399
Unfortunately,
a lot of that happens

01:23:56.400 --> 01:23:59.632
after you\'ve had a major
catastrophic event

01:23:59.633 --> 01:24:03.699
like the Exxon Valdez.

01:24:03.700 --> 01:24:07.566
- Oil spill, similar
to the Exxon Valdez,

01:24:07.567 --> 01:24:11.032
could happen anywhere
in the world today.

01:24:11.033 --> 01:24:14.899
But could it happen
off the coast of Canada?

01:24:14.900 --> 01:24:16.099
Absolutely.

01:24:16.100 --> 01:24:17.266
Could it happen off the coasts

01:24:17.267 --> 01:24:20.999
of Washington, Oregon,
California?

01:24:21.000 --> 01:24:24.000
Absolutely.

01:25:19.967 --> 01:25:21.766
- How do you see, you know,

01:25:21.767 --> 01:25:26.599
what your job is in terms
of running this corporation

01:25:26.600 --> 01:25:28.067
as an energy concern?

01:25:30.433 --> 01:25:33.299
- We have a corporate
social responsibility,

01:25:33.300 --> 01:25:36.199
in my view, to ensure the world
continues to receive

01:25:36.200 --> 01:25:38.632
the energy it needs in a fashion

01:25:38.633 --> 01:25:42.566
that it can use it reliably
to maintain their economies,

01:25:42.567 --> 01:25:45.766
maintain the quality of life
and allow more people

01:25:45.767 --> 01:25:47.533
to move up in their quality
of life.

01:25:50.533 --> 01:25:52.632
And so continuing to do
everything we can

01:25:52.633 --> 01:25:55.766
to supply oil and natural gas
is the core of our business.

01:25:55.767 --> 01:25:58.766
That\'s what we have been doing
for 125 years.

01:25:58.767 --> 01:26:00.967
In my view, we do it better
than anyone else.

01:26:08.967 --> 01:26:11.967
[keyboard clacking]

01:26:20.200 --> 01:26:23.666
- The scientific ecosystem
study findings

01:26:23.667 --> 01:26:26.999
is that oil is more toxic
than thought in the 1970s.

01:26:27.000 --> 01:26:30.499
It\'s worth pointing out
that Exxon disputes the findings

01:26:30.500 --> 01:26:32.332
of the ecosystem studies.

01:26:32.333 --> 01:26:35.499
Of course, Exxon also denies
global climate change.

01:26:35.500 --> 01:26:38.066
- Anybody that tells you
they\'ve got this figured out

01:26:38.067 --> 01:26:39.899
is not being truthful with you,

01:26:39.900 --> 01:26:43.466
because nobody\'s got this
figured out.

01:26:43.467 --> 01:26:46.132
There are too many complexities
around climate science

01:26:46.133 --> 01:26:48.166
for anybody to fully understand

01:26:48.167 --> 01:26:50.866
all of the cause and effects
and the consequences

01:26:50.867 --> 01:26:53.499
of what you may choose to do
to attempt to affect that.

01:26:53.500 --> 01:26:59.966
- The reason Exxon is denying
the oil spill science

01:26:59.967 --> 01:27:03.933
is because this also affects
Exxon operations worldwide.

01:27:28.667 --> 01:27:31.667
[birds cawing]

01:27:36.167 --> 01:27:39.632
I look at what Exxon is doing
with global climate change,

01:27:39.633 --> 01:27:42.732
and I realize it\'s exactly
a parallel mirror.

01:27:42.733 --> 01:27:46.932
We have these corporations
fighting anything

01:27:46.933 --> 01:27:49.666
that threatens
their bottom line,

01:27:49.667 --> 01:27:51.466
no matter who is at risk,

01:27:51.467 --> 01:27:53.866
whether it\'s workers
like Captain Richard Nagel

01:27:53.867 --> 01:27:55.166
or whether at the other extreme,

01:27:55.167 --> 01:27:58.566
it\'s our entire survival
of planet Earth.

01:27:58.567 --> 01:28:01.633
[water splashing]

01:28:07.867 --> 01:28:10.867
[birds cawing]

01:28:29.333 --> 01:28:37.299
- She said \"Oooh, oooh, oooh

01:28:37.300 --> 01:28:43.399
Oooh, oooh

01:28:43.400 --> 01:28:48.232
Oooh, oooh, oooh

01:28:48.233 --> 01:28:50.366
We were getting ready
for the tenth anniversary

01:28:50.367 --> 01:28:53.432
of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

01:28:53.433 --> 01:28:56.366
And at that time, I had sort of

01:28:56.367 --> 01:28:58.866
just started writing songs
and music.

01:28:58.867 --> 01:29:00.366
I was 14 at the time

01:29:00.367 --> 01:29:06.132
and just watching everybody

01:29:06.133 --> 01:29:08.532
talk about the oil spill
and their story

01:29:08.533 --> 01:29:11.332
and just how emotional
it still was ten years later.

01:29:11.333 --> 01:29:18.299
It was still just
an incredibly powerful event.

01:29:18.300 --> 01:29:21.299
And I came home from some
of those meetings,

01:29:21.300 --> 01:29:25.999
and I just sat down,
and I wrote a song.

01:29:26.000 --> 01:29:28.199
It was sort of
from the perspective of

01:29:28.200 --> 01:29:32.932
I guess my parents.

01:29:32.933 --> 01:29:36.532
[sighs]

01:29:36.533 --> 01:29:39.532
I was very small.

01:29:39.533 --> 01:29:41.032
[peaceful singing]

01:29:41.033 --> 01:29:45.399
She looked across
the blackened sound

01:29:45.400 --> 01:29:50.266
Brokenhearted at what she found

01:29:50.267 --> 01:29:54.299
Her home, her family,
everything she knew

01:29:54.300 --> 01:29:59.099
Had been covered
in the blackened crude

01:29:59.100 --> 01:30:06.999
She said \"Oooh, oooh, oooh\"

01:30:07.000 --> 01:30:09.067
Oooh, oooh

01:30:10.833 --> 01:30:15.966
I was very small at the time
of the spill,

01:30:15.967 --> 01:30:18.432
so I don\'t remember a whole lot
of that.

01:30:18.433 --> 01:30:21.632
But it\'s...

01:30:21.633 --> 01:30:24.633
[sighs]

01:30:31.067 --> 01:30:36.499
It\'s been a huge presence
in my...

01:30:36.500 --> 01:30:37.666
In my life.

01:30:37.667 --> 01:30:40.966
And I came home and wrote a song
just sort of

01:30:40.967 --> 01:30:43.066
from the perspective
of my parents,

01:30:43.067 --> 01:30:45.166
of the people in this community

01:30:45.167 --> 01:30:47.332
and how they must have felt

01:30:47.333 --> 01:30:52.866
flying over...

01:30:52.867 --> 01:30:54.866
this beautiful place
that we live in

01:30:54.867 --> 01:30:58.699
covered in oil.

01:30:58.700 --> 01:31:01.432
She said \"Oooh\"

01:31:01.433 --> 01:31:05.099
The story that I wanted to tell
with the song

01:31:05.100 --> 01:31:08.366
was just what it felt like,

01:31:08.367 --> 01:31:13.232
and our story.

01:31:13.233 --> 01:31:18.932
Oooh, oooh, oooh

01:31:18.933 --> 01:31:23.333
Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh

01:31:53.667 --> 01:31:55.699
- I\'m here to tell you
what we\'re gonna do about it.

01:31:55.700 --> 01:31:58.166
And I\'m going to show you
what we\'re doing about it.

01:31:58.167 --> 01:31:59.466
And we\'re doing the best job

01:31:59.467 --> 01:32:02.266
that\'s ever been done
on an oil spill.

01:32:02.267 --> 01:32:03.299
And watch.

01:32:03.300 --> 01:32:05.100
Just watch.

01:32:20.733 --> 01:32:21.733
[door slams]

01:32:21.734 --> 01:32:24.733
[engine revving]

01:32:26.967 --> 01:32:28.532
- Exxon wins.

01:32:28.533 --> 01:32:30.966
That\'s another vote

01:32:30.967 --> 01:32:33.966
for the corporate capitalistic
structure

01:32:33.967 --> 01:32:36.666
that this country seems
to be laboring under.

01:32:36.667 --> 01:32:38.199
The people no longer matter.

01:32:38.200 --> 01:32:40.199
It\'s the corporate power

01:32:40.200 --> 01:32:43.432
that\'s running things
in this country.

01:32:43.433 --> 01:32:46.433
[gulls cawing]

01:32:52.100 --> 01:32:54.132
- There\'s a need for people

01:32:54.133 --> 01:32:57.400
to understand what happened
in this town.

01:32:59.300 --> 01:33:00.999
Cordova is saying here

01:33:01.000 --> 01:33:03.232
is that the legal system

01:33:03.233 --> 01:33:06.499
is going to treat every single
community in America

01:33:06.500 --> 01:33:08.899
just like they treated Cordova.

01:33:08.900 --> 01:33:13.632
We need to wake up and take back
control from these corporations.

01:33:13.633 --> 01:33:16.566
We need to say,
\"Our values count.

01:33:16.567 --> 01:33:18.232
\"Human rights count.

01:33:18.233 --> 01:33:19.966
\"Human decency counts.

01:33:19.967 --> 01:33:21.466
\"Our little communities,

01:33:21.467 --> 01:33:26.600
our lives count more
than corporate values.\"

01:33:59.733 --> 01:34:02.732
- I never thought
in my wildest dreams

01:34:02.733 --> 01:34:07.899
this would be how I would end up
after a lifetime of fishing

01:34:07.900 --> 01:34:11.799
and working hard
at this business.

01:34:11.800 --> 01:34:14.799
[flames crackling]

01:34:14.800 --> 01:34:17.800
[bittersweet choral singing]

01:35:58.967 --> 01:36:02.033
[peaceful acoustic guitar music]

01:36:08.167 --> 01:36:12.166
- She looked across
the blackened sound

01:36:12.167 --> 01:36:17.332
Brokenhearted at what she found

01:36:17.333 --> 01:36:20.866
Her home, her family,
everything she knew

01:36:20.867 --> 01:36:25.199
Had been covered
in the blackened crude

01:36:25.200 --> 01:36:32.266
She said \"Oooh, oooh, oooh\"

01:36:32.267 --> 01:36:35.966
Oooh, oooh

01:36:35.967 --> 01:36:39.666
Tears stream down her face

01:36:39.667 --> 01:36:44.999
The coming thoughts
she tried to pace

01:36:45.000 --> 01:36:48.266
What was the future
and how could she

01:36:48.267 --> 01:36:53.032
Raise a family
on what used to be?

01:36:53.033 --> 01:37:00.166
She said \"Oooh, oooh, oooh\"

01:37:00.167 --> 01:37:06.166
Oooh, oooh

01:37:06.167 --> 01:37:12.032
Oooh, oooh, oooh

01:37:12.033 --> 01:37:15.899
Oooh, oooh, oooh

01:37:15.900 --> 01:37:20.032
Visions of dying otters,
fish, and birds

01:37:20.033 --> 01:37:25.366
Filled her mind
and the cries she heard

01:37:25.367 --> 01:37:29.032
Oiled bodies and tortured souls

01:37:29.033 --> 01:37:33.132
Corporate profits
are taking their toll

01:37:33.133 --> 01:37:40.266
She said \"Oooh, oooh, oooh\"

01:37:40.267 --> 01:37:46.232
Oooh, oooh, oooh

01:37:46.233 --> 01:37:52.232
Oooh, oooh, oooh

01:37:52.233 --> 01:37:55.233
[mournful string music]