Captain Joe’s Folly -
Going on 30
Amazing, that after
30-years gone bye-bye baby by now, the “lion sleeps tonight” still, thy lair
protected from trespass. This 30-years, about equal to the political
calling expectancy for an Alaskan politician in “rabid skunk” heat, so it has
meaning this long stench with time. Then what’s up with the lion, must be
hiding something in efforts to protect political aspirations with Seward’s
Folly? OK, in this case the “Tiger”. In a few days, we will once again
celebrate mankind’s forgetfulness upon the EXXON Valdez tanker wreck, some
30-years in the making…making it go away that is. This history challenging
event no longer “headline” news worthy this once upon a time environmental crime
scene of numerous dead eagles - the pride and joy American icon of strength, devastated!
Along with more oil soaked sick sea birds then one could count without vomiting
in disgust, and by now the famed “bad luck” tanker has been sold for scrap to China
and Captain Joe Hazelwood served his “Community Service” penalty at “Bean’s Café”
for the homeless and today also enjoying retirement - so ifs to ands or buts
about it no one cares! Oh I see why; “In 2009, Hazelwood offered a heartfelt
apology to the people of Alaska, but suggested he had been wrongly blamed for
the disaster. He said the true story is out there for anybody who wants to look
at the facts, but that's not the sexy story and that's not the easy story.
Hazelwood said he felt Alaskans always gave him a fair shake.” Joe has a point, he was “wrongly blamed”, the proof
is in the hasty pudding. Remember, haste makes waste we were so damn excited to
place blame for that disaster on - NO ONE, as intent is 9/10ths of
the law! And EXXON is once again in the anti-trust partnership with Mobil and
making bigger profits then ever! It is amazing how the “law of the land” works
to fail justice. See, once upon-a-time Uncle Sam caught Rockefeller’s Standard Oil
in cahoots with Mr. RICO and separated the mob. But now that the “statute of
limitations” has expired, back to enjoying the freeloading with Mr. RICO’s “Trust
Fund” kids! Now since that March 24th spill in 1989, EXXON has
enjoyed profits increasing on average 15% per year with annual income of
$200-Billion. Crime does pay, read on! In Prince William Sound, spilled oil
still finds itself sleeping like that lion king, secluded away from the “mainstream”
in segregated “globs”. Best left undisturbed as any encouragement to release the
“dormant benzene toxicity” could once again cripple nature’s bounty - from fish
to mammals to birds. Best just let the lion sleep it off. But what about the “Tiger”?
See, EXXON did not suffer the “financial” consequences of an environmental disaster
the likes in magnitude of this wreck, back in 89 like it should have. In fact,
it may have profited, as its negligence insurer felt the pain and suffering of
paying up while finger-pointing paved the way for “distributed accountability” -
aka pass the buck of responsibility with deny, deny, deny! It was like this “Wreck”
took place in a 3rd world nation wherein there is no law abiding, business as
usual in America. A long time ago it was much akin to that latter sentiment, and
I was there this is what I can share! Now the once breathing living testament to
what may have significance in the aiding and abetting the EXXON Valdez to run
hard aground into a well-known reef learned about in kindergarten, well the
evidence is dying off, so listen up time to put it into perspective why no one
really suffered the agony of defeat this “Wreck”, accept the environment itself.
And what say does Sam Eagle have in this matter? Yes indeed, the evidence is
dying off due age-related limitations. Now in my book, notable characters in
the EXXON Valdez wreck to name but a few, Charles Hamel(R.I.P.) along with Radio
Flyer Al(R.I.P.) and Dirty Laundry Dan. First and foremost, disgruntled and almost
bankrupt broke “oil broker” Charles Hamel testified before the U.S. Congress in
1991 and gathered together his “Special Counseled Witnesses” that could corroborate
his “whistleblowing” upon environmental atrocities practiced by the oil
industry in Alaska. Hamel went “wallet busted” trying to compete with the Seven
Sisters of American oil, especially in Alaska, so went on a vendetta to get
even and it all started in the late 80s - a period of time coincidental with the
“wreck”. And why not use the “environmentalist” label as a convenient shadow
puppet, even if the shoe don’t fit the habit. Hamel was out to ruin EXXON,
bottom-line for reasons that held nothing to do with issues upon AWOL environment
stewardship by “Big Alaskan Oil”, but lost profits. The “Mr. Green Jeans” fake
& take was a frontal lobotomy assault on people that placed faith and Hamel’s
masquerade, unknown to the cult his true mission was fostered by “Greed” and
NOT environmental need. Oh yes, the friends we keep on the heap! One of Hamel’s
so-called “credible” witnesses was a pipeline worker who despised and
disrespected “black men” beyond KKK cesspool sympathizing, especially those of “color”
working for the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company at the humongous terminal
storage facility in Valdez - at the end of the line. When Charlie’s Angels Bigot
Bob was assigned the duties as the “Thermal Oxidizer Operator”, the control
room he was in charge of would find a loose “noose” on the desk and the
chalkboard would signal out a nauseating warning in big bold letters: “No NIGGERS”. OK, it was Alaska but it
was the 80s! And then this loud-mouth bigot would purposely place the control
system in “manual mode of operation” and attempt to re-adjust the complicated “oxidation”
process, like taking this critical environmental abatement component out of “auto-pilot”
and for no noteworthy consideration, accept to perpetrate a crime. In this case
not for any improvements but to purposely send aloft smoke signals in pollution,
as from across the bay the tiny town of Valdez, the residents could see this catastrophe
in earnest in progress against the backdrop of serene Alpine terrain. Pinch
yourself, this was one of Charles Hamel’s “Star Witnesses” who stood in front
of the United States 102nd Congress and won praise from Congressman
John Dingell and George Miller, neither a member of Alaska’s political guiding
light brigade in Congress. So this was a Hamel witness front and center of an
attention getting mission, until Bigot Bob was eventually fired. But when still
gainfully employed by Alyeska and causing “havoc” with the process along with “color
of a man’s skin” prejudice out loud every third word out of his foul bad breath
mouth reflecting his “N” word conscious, once the “Incinerators” - as these
critical infrastructure devices were called in the “short” - once the units were
huffing and puffing and belching with black smoke from premature annihilation
of hydrocarbons no other place to go but enter the pristine air, conscientious residents
would call in a complaint to the local DEC police - the State of Alaska
Department of Environmental Conservation. The latter maintained an office in Valdez,
for “oversight” of the oil industry and was a police force of the State with
Federal “Joint Pipeline Office”. Talk about a sacred bureaucracy, 16 government
oversight committees under one roof to make sure tankers don’t bleed or industrial
smoke stacks don’t belch! Asleep at the wheel? Now the “Thermal Oxidizer” was
designed to handle the “out-gassing vapors” from the crude oil storage tanks
during settling time, before the oil was “market” ready to board a ship headed south.
And when the Trans-Alaska-Pipeline was receiving upwards 2-million barrels each
and everyday, that meant a whole lot of “vapors” subject to annihilation through
oxidation - which resulted in “scrubbed vapors” and safe for the environment. Oxidation
101, the three “Ts” of “Time and Temperature and Turbulence” is what it was all
about. The “Alyeska Pipeline Terminal” had stricter environmental emission standards
then what was found in the town of Valdez, wherein many still used wood burning
stoves. Basically speaking, carry-over constituents from oil development with a
hydrocarbon content would be “cleaned” before this “vapor” went released to the
surrounding atmosphere. It worked, as it was my job to make sure it worked. True
upon fact, as long as the operators left well enough alone and minded their own
business, let the process computers analyze and make decision control and when
pipeline operations warranted, make necessary algorithm changes. See, “Manual
Mode” was designed when something went wrong and human intervention required, say
during a component failure or for routine maintenance - just like a pilot
switching off “Auto-pilot” when in the cock-pit of a Boeing 737 in a nose-dive “Pull
Up…Pull Up”! Now with the Alaskan pipeline, with boatloads of oil coming from
Prudhoe Bay, there were months wherein the “vapor loss” accounted for upwards
10000-barrels of oil equivalency - so the “Vapor Recovery System” was a very
valuable and critical component in efforts to doing things right. One other
thing, many of the pipeline workers had growing families living in Valdez. We were
not about to allow pollution to affect our kids’ health. We were
environmentalists on our own accord and made damn sure the systems designed to
keep the air clean worked, we were that committed and didn’t need no Charles
Hamel to mind our business! But there came interference through outside intervention.
And there was no way to perform this control task with a “manual mode”
intervention, just too many adjustments - it was merely the likes of a “bigot”
wanting to cause an environmental nightmare for the pipeline operator - because
Hamel offered protection. Bigot Bob was a disgruntled individual, on the Human
Resources’ wish-list short-list chopping block and to reiterate a “Star Witness”
for the wannabee Green Peace Environmental “Gadfly”, Charles Hamel. Let me get
the point across if lost, Hamel was an “Oil Broker”, not a Mr. Green Jeans! So
due the fact the Alyeska workers had a week-on week-off schedule, Bigot Bob was
an off and on problem - sigh of relief when it was his “Rest & Relax” time
away from the harassment and we all hoped that one day he would disappear and
never have to hear his bigoted loud mouth “N” word chants again. See, once the
bigot started messing with things, in a few hours time the entire crude oil
storage tank farm would become unstable and then take days to get it calmed
down, as volatility ruled. But in this day and age of lawsuits, it was
difficult for the management to just “you’re fired” this cantankerous SOB - a paper
trail trend with disciplinary action had to be established and documented. With
that, in the time being that Bigot Bob was still employed, we were always on
our toes and actually made modifications that would not allow such sabotage of
the control system’s design. That brings me to an assessment of another witness,
that Dirty Laundry Dan - who I held the pleasure of meeting on 3-special occasions.
When Bigot Bob would re-adjust the pollution abatement equipment to “pollute”
and moms feared for the health of their kids out playing at recess time while just
over yonder the “madman across the water” allowed thick black crap to billow
out of the “Incinerators” like it was the end of the world, a call to the
Department of Environmental Conservation to report that the “incinerators” were
polluting should have meant something besides a “No Show”. I worked at the
Alyeska Terminal for 6-years as the “Lead Instrumentation Technician”, and
responsible for making sure things worked right and never once had the
opportunity to meet face to face with the local individuals responsible to make
sure Alyeska was abiding by the rules and regulations. Remember, this was and
still is the most regulated project of record. Sure that “Joint Pipeline Office”
held oversight, but that office was 300-miles away in Anchorage - so it relied
on the local DEC to report and police things. And that is the way the “bureaucrat
brats” wanted it to be, leave well enough alone and if no bad news from Valdez
just sit around and collect that big fat paycheck. “Don’t ask, don’t tell” was
the motto of “actual” ear-to-the-pavement oversight! And that is why placing blame
upon who or what caused the EXXON “wreck” found such profound difficulty, their
existed one too many guilty in party that were indeed “Asleep at the Wheel-House”
on that dreaded day in March of 1989. OK, I lied, as Dirty Laundry Dan showed
his face one time with a concern. Remember, here was a guy who had all the
security credentials to enter the “Pipeline Terminal” at any given time 24/7
with or without notice. Now that meeting was over concern with respect to a
permit for another type of incinerator, the kind that is used in funeral homes
to cremate a cadaver. We used this kind of device to burn oil-soaked rags used
to clean up minor spills. Now one day Dirty Laundry Dan showed up shoving his oversight
weight around with questions about the “incinerator”, and when we found out
what the visit was all about he was the laughing stock of the management. See,
we think someone called in a complaint about the “Thermal Oxidizers” as like
already alluded upon, that system was called an “incinerator” for short. How
sad, as the local DEC gets a complaint about air pollution and the local cop
comes looking for a funeral! And because of the actual DEC cop front and center
of attention this first appearance, when I asked Dan if he wanted to see the “modifications”
we were working on to better control the overall “Oxidation” process of the “Big
Incinerator”, he looked totally confused and did not entertain getting involved
- it was his job! He balked at an opportunity to get acquainted with his job
responsibilities. Bottomline, he had no idea there were modifications going on
that were not minor, but major! And we had entered a report on these changes
before going forward, that which went distributed to all concerned parties. In
that report, to which it was pointed out copied to the Valdez DEC office, it
was relayed that things may not have been working according to specifications
and the permits - we had no problem admitting the truth. Fine us if you like for
telling the truth, and that report also claimed how individuals may have been
operating the equipment to the detriment of the environment. Basically speaking,
we never saw or heard the likes of any State of Alaska “oversight” show up to
address the situation of what was really going on at the Valdez Marine Terminal
- and there existed boatloads to offer up in efforts to show & tell the proactiveness
of Alyeska at work. That was the problem, we were “proactive” and the reason we
were called the “Best of the Best” - the Alyeska Pipeline Company “motto”. So
in all the years I worked in Valdez, on the most critical “environmental
assessment” equipment, never once came the opportunity to engage in a
conversation with someone from the State DEC. And it was at the time we were
making major control scheme modifications to the “Vapor Recovery System”, as
when the system was originally tuned during initial commissioning by the start-up
engineers, well things had changed drastically in a few years time as
expectations of increased oil production was making the equipment work to its
fullest potential - which required some modifications and re-tuning! That was
my job, yet the DEC oversight was a NO SHOW and appeared it maintained an
attitude of “non-existence”! Which did not bother the Alyeska management, as
most of the time you get an oversight cop that knows all about the rules &
regulations but has “zero” background in control theory and has no idea what
one is trying to accomplish. It can be complicated as well as intimidating,
such control systems, but listen up we will explain how and what that monster
looking equipment was designed to do! But there was no excuse here in Valdez for
such lackadaisical oversight as we were not hiding anything. And Dirty Laundry
Dan sports the fact that he was an environmental engineer that helped design
the Valdez Marine Terminal, this end-of-the-line complex that found the storage
capabilities of 9-million barrels of crude oil destined for West Coast markets,
a power plant that could produce electricity for 20 Valdez sized towns and
ancillary equipment…we had our very own fire department - as this complex was
like a city onto itself. Maybe Dirty Laundry Dan helped design the sewer system!
Now like already stated with pride, I was the Lead Instrumentation Technician
for the company that operates the Trans-Alaska-Pipeline, and for years worked
in Valdez as well as many years at Pump Station 1 in Prudhoe Bay - the start of
the 800-mile long wilderness pipeline - in the position as SCADA/Custody
Transfer Lead. My job was making sure what was sent through the pipeline was
accounted for - everything! OK, I did have the opportunity to meet Dirty
Laundry Dan face-to-face on one other occasion, but not at the job site. And
the second time I met Dan, it was when I was off the job and some early morning
ruckus out at Perkin’s Cove found the DEC cop violating the law, as he was
stuck in the “protected” tide-flats with a backhoe while trying to dig a septic
system trench for some new subdivision he owned along with other investors. And
when I approached his position wherein once shell protected sea-life was being
crushed to death and a plume of mud was now streaming towards a migration
active salmon stream, he pulled his six-shooter out and warned me off! Of
course I filed a complaint, not over the “gun” threat but how in hell can the
guy responsible for the “environment” be the same guy that “wrecks” it! And when
the complaint taker is the perpetrator, guess what happens? Get the point! OK,
then Dirty Dan and some environmental organization he was affiliated with took
me to court because he got caught stealing my testimony from the Joint Pipeline
Office. See, I was a witness myself, but not against the pipeline operator, against
those that were trying to cause harm for selfish reasons - like Charles Hamel. It
was the same sentiment as Captain Joe, “it wasn’t the sexy story”, but damn
right the truth you can’t stand! So my testimony was stolen, copied and
delivered to lawyers that were working for Hamel and others, like Bigot Bob who
was trying to sue Alyeska after getting canned for his “NIGGER Joe” attitude stuff.
And I found out that it was Dirty Laundry Dan that copied and distributed my
testimony without approval as it was “Sealed” to protect, but due the fact he
worked for the State of Alaska and the Joint Pipeline Office was part of the “oversight”,
well Dan got away with it then filed lawyer charges against me and won -
because he wasn’t doing anything wrong? The “bureaucracy”, I got a 2-cent apology
and a $10k bill! And when I refused to pay-up, the bastards garnished my wages.
It was a cover-up by the State of Alaska bureaucrats because it held no control
over its employees with respect to “confidentiality”, aka “Grand Theft”. And
guess what wait there’s more! When that “sealed” testimony, sealed to protect
my identity was breached, of course the company I worked for went pissed as my
testimony contained information that was “company confidential” and eventually
I was forced to resign. Look, Charles Hamel and his cohorts in “crime and shame”
caused honest Americans to lose that Johnny Paycheck, but what else would you
expect from a “broke” oil broker on a selfish mission to cause harm, pain and
suffering just to get even with EXXON! And using “Trash” witnesses to accommodate
this, it’s a “crime”. Now with “Star Witnesses” Bigot Bob and Dirty Laundry Dan
introduced, then that leads to Radio Flyer Al. See Al was a very knowledgeable
radio engineer that worked for Alyeska, that was terminated from his job working
for the pipeline people. Nobody ever found out the reason why Al was discharged,
as he was a pretty quiet type of guy that minded his own business. But due that
knowledge of radar and radio communications - be it for voice or data
transmissions - he soon found a position as an engineer that was on-call to fix
navigational problems with the tanker fleet that called on the port of Valdez.
Before a tanker was allowed to sail out of Valdez with a boatload of “crude oil”,
all things that matter had to be working correctly, else the escort pilots
would refuse to take a tanker out of port to free-sail south. See, the Valdez “Narrows”
required the tanker captains to hand over control of the helm to a group of pilots
that were dedicated and trained as well as aware of how to maneuver super-tankers
in and out of Valdez, rain or shine. So Radio Flyer Al has this gig, of checking
out the navigational systems of the tankers before one of these steel beasts
sets sail. Now this was during the challenging times wherein technology was
allowing more and more things critical to be maintained from “remote”, via radio
linking communications. Which meant that even though Radio Flyer Al had been
terminated from the “Valdez Terminal” and lost is security credentials, he could
perform a majority of his surveillance and calibration work from the luxury of
his basement’s “man den” - located at his home in Valdez city limits. And even
with the “security clearance” not allowing full access to the “Pipeline
Terminal” following a “termination” of employment that was kept confidential, Radio
Flyer Al could still get an escort to board a tanker if his job required such,
for maintenance purposes. You cannot deny a person his bread & butter for
selfish reasons! But I saw it in operation, this “man den” oversight of
navigational systems on board tankers tied up at the loading docks from far and
away, as one day as I was passing his house and was flagged down with
excitement and Radio Al wanted so bad to show me what he had accomplished. I was
witness, how from many miles away the navigational system of a super-tanker
could be, well let’s say compromised. Calibration, it’s all about calibration
and since radio communication from Valdez out to where the EXXON hit the reef
while “full stern ahead” - the 3rd mate initiated a correction
course, it didn’t take and when in the dark of night the 1st mate
realized the tanker’s navigation was upside down, it was too late! That night
of the “Wreck”, it passed through my thought process that this accident was not
due negligence - it was planned! And even though those that may have been behind
this sabotage were quick to demonstrate that Captain Joe had a drinking
problem, the first DUI test proved my point - as it showed zero alcohol content
but that test mysteriously disappeared. One day before the “Wreck”
as I was returning home from fishing on my week off, low and behold a group of
men were hanging out bullshitting in Radio Flyer Al’s drive way, guess who it
was? And a few days following what looked like a meeting of terrorists planning
an attack on the pipeline, I asked Al what was up while running my dogs by his
house. He told me he showed them the same thing he showed me, how he could
remap a ship’s navigational system to turn it backwards - he laughed I
continued my run. So my take, a disgruntled oil broker teamed up with a disgruntled
radio guy, as Hamel would take on any and all forms of human trash to forward whore
hoe his disgruntled agenda against “Big Oil”, because he claims the oil he and
his partners were buying from the “Tiger” went drenched with water. It was, as
water meant $money$ for the “Big Oil” guys but not for Hamel investors, as he
had bargained for “market ready” oil as a commodity and went broke. And even though
“Big Alaskan Oil” had wandered into a lucrative scam that hurt no one, where “water”
was selling for the same price as a barrel of oil as a write-down against
profits, Hamel was on the other side of the street and could not take advantage
of that “scam” like he had hoped, and it sank his venture along with his
partners in Dirty Laundry! True Story, and Captain Joe was right, he had
nothing to do with a sabotaged radar system that crashed his ship into Bligh
Reef! Now to be clear, there had come some compromising of radio communications
along the Trans-Alaska-Pipeline. Somebody had found access to the critical “Remote
Gate Valves” along the 800-mile Trans-Alaska-Pipeline, with a $150-dollar used
hand-held Motorola radio, and was successful in commanding a remote valve to go
closed. The entire pipeline is coordinated, as to close a valve in a critical
location without such up-and-down consideration of head pressure, it would pop
the pipe out of the ground like popping a pimple. You just can’t put the brakes
on hard with so much oil flowing over mountain ranges - be gentle or else. This
was the scenario that scared many of us, that there was someone out there with
the wherewithal knowledge to perform such a sabotage, someone that had access to
the secret codes for the valves and held a keen knowledge of pipeline hydraulics
in a stall pattern. Our thoughts were that some saboteur would ransom a threat
of shutting down the pipeline, by closing a valve here and there. And if in the
dead of winter and the oil started freezing - it was the worst nightmare and
maybe we took our sights off of the real nightmare - just around the block from
wherein the pipelines ends, that Bligh Reef! But that was not part of the “pipeline”,
we had no control what happens when that tanker shoves off. The reason the
EXXON Valdez, once the pride-and-joy tanker of the Mighty EXXON fleet is scrap
today, sabotage by a half-handful of disgruntled individuals, that would use
the “Environmentalist” label as a front to get even and it worked as the
verdict is still out on accountability the evil behind this “mess” that lingers
on! Now IMAGINE someone in the oil industry using this “sabotage” as an excuse -
it would never pass muster and that was the intent of this March 24th
attack back in 1989 and maybe Hamel won the “get even” battle against the “Tiger".
Where have all the cowards
gone, gone to graveyards…
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