You're likely aware that the notorious Exxon Valdez case is back in court yet again. Yesterday, the Most Profitable Company of All Time argued before the U.S. Supreme Court that it shouldn't have to pay $2.5 billion in damages to Alaskans harmed by the spill. (That was reduced from the original $5 billion, but Exxon argues it shouldn't have to pay any damages. Yes, really.)
It is, of course, morally repugnant almost beyond measure for the company to be fighting this still today. But my outrage and disgust aren't particularly interesting. What might be interesting is a fact you may not know about the Republican presidential candidate, John McCain.
Just four months after the Valdez spill, Sen. George Mitchell introduced S.686, a measure relating to oil spills and liability. Sen. Brock Adams then introduced an amendment (S.Amdt.669) requiring double hulls on all new tankers over 20,000 tons operating in U.S. waters. (Valdez was a single-hull tanker.)
Big Oil's Best Buddy Sen. John Breaux moved to table the amendment. When the vote was taken, the amendment was indeed tabled, by an extremely narrow 51-48 vote.
Guess who voted with Breaux and Big Oil? That's right: Straight Talkin', Special Interest Hatin', Enviro-Maverick John McCain!
Again: four months after the biggest environmental disaster in U.S. history, McCain voted against requiring double hulled tankers.
To this day, Exxon is the only oil company that doesn't use double-hulled tankers to ship oil in and out of Alaska.
Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) [UPDATED]
Comments
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Jim DiPeso Posted 5:18 am
28 Feb 2008
McCain is the only GOP presidential candidate who will give environmental issues a fair hearing. Nothing good for the environment can come from defaulting to partisan polarization.
See more about McCain's environmental record at http://www.rep.org/McCain_enviro_record.html
See more about the Sierra Club's over-the-top attacks on his record at http://www.rep.org/opinions/press_releases/release08-2-28 ...
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alaskaluv Posted 5:33 am
28 Feb 2008
To be fair, one might also raise the fact that Senator Obama voted against an important amendment sponsored by Senators McCain and Feingold that would have allowed for independent review and prioritization of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water projects.
Senator McCain has a strong environmental record. You can find the details at http://www.rep.org/McCain_enviro_record.html
Our goal should be to make protecting the environment "a cause beyond party and beyond factions." With Senator McCain being the GOP nominee, the environment has a chance to win regardless of who wins the White House. All of us should celebrate the position we find ourselves in. Unfortunately these attacks perpetuate the partisan atmosphere that has so often hurt our cause.
David Jenkins
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KenG Posted 9:12 am
28 Feb 2008
In reality, environmentalists should be celebrating since this is the first time in my memory that both parties will actually field candidates that at least have positions on paper sympathetic to the environmentalist concerns.
In reality I suspect there is a hard core segment of the environmental movement that is more leftist than green.
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Tasermons Partner Posted 11:00 am
28 Feb 2008
http://capwiz.com/lcv_stage/bio/keyvotes/?id=192&cong ...
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Sam Wells Posted 11:38 am
28 Feb 2008
Tell the local fishermen in the sounds and bays where the destruction was the worst, as they simply do not have any fish anymore. The fish that are left have lesions and are stunted and are not edible. They have been waiting for decades for resolution on a settlement but Exxon keeps dragging it through the court system. This is not about inordinate tort claims ... this is about fairness to the families and businesses that were shut down by a drunk captain and a rookie mate who hit a rock with total disregard for proper navigation and seamanship.
Every presidential candidate has a vote they'd love to take back. I wonder if John McCain would take back his vote against OPA 90. If not, screw him.
Onward through the fog
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mfilomio Posted 11:32 pm
28 Feb 2008
Ideally a CFO would see that it was worth paying for the double hulls now and avoiding costly rulings in the future. This philosophy has the added benefit of minimizing government and keeping tax dollars in the pockets of hardworking Americans (many of whom care about green issues).
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Sam Wells Posted 12:15 am
29 Feb 2008
Further, this is not just a "silly American law" but is part of an international set of regulations for all tanker ships, where single-hull tankers are to be converted or scrapped by 2026 (MARPOL 73/78). It should be acknowledged that many lobbyists from the tanker operators participated in the rulemaking and supported it.
Onward through the fog
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amazingdrx Posted 1:06 am
29 Feb 2008
Then why is the exxonmob still allowed to ship that oil? Make them hire responsible shipping companies. The exxonmob personnel should be arrested when they arrive in Alaska and held until the fine is payed too.
The exxonmob is pure evil, pure fundamentalist krazy, korpoRAT, kristian evil. McCain ought to be stuck with oil spill footage ads against him in the campaign.
There is good news on oil spills though. An inventor right here in northern Wisconsin discovered that powdered recycled glass separates oil from water, it clumps up soaking into the glass powder. With heat the powder can be filtered from the oil.
Since we have an oily administration now, and had an oily congress up until recently, it's understandable that exxonmob has not been forced to go to double hulls or pay it's Valdeze fine. Remember this, Condi had an exxonmob tanker named after her, first time that ever happened!
Now will these steps be taken by the Barack administration? Will the powdered glass cleanup process be mandated for emergency ships, with tons of the stuff available wherever spill danger exists, like the Valdeze area? Making this guy rich off the patent and funding further invention?
Doubtfull. But that is what should happen.
http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog
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Sam Wells Posted 1:39 am
29 Feb 2008
My impression was that Exxon was getting out of the shipping business buy using contract carriers these days, but still runs a few monthly shipments on the West Coast.
Onward through the fog
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davedenali Posted 6:31 am
29 Feb 2008
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davedenali Posted 6:33 am
29 Feb 2008
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Tasermons Partner Posted 8:17 am
29 Feb 2008
Given the average score of the typical Republican (which is less than 10), and the fact that several of the legislative pieces that he did support were large in scope and almost unanimously opposed by all other Republicans, the LCV considered his voting record to be fair.
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Jason D Scorse Posted 10:53 am
29 Feb 2008
I teach environmental economics and blog at http://www.voicesofreason.info.
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bookerly Posted 8:38 pm
29 Feb 2008
The fact that Exxon-Mobile contracts out its shipments is merely a cop-out. They do this because it creates a firewall to protect them. What they SHOULD do is require that the companies they contract with use double-hulls. But, nOOOOOOOOOO, that would be..... I dunno. Something they don't want to do any way.
McCain was at one time perhaps and independent thinker. But, really, he has pandered so far to the extreme right to win the nomination, that even if he won the election, he would be their prisoner.
The only reason the LCV or anyone speaks highly of him is so that they can preserve the fiction of "bi-partisanship". But it is alas a fiction. And not one worth preserving.
With any luck, Obama will wipe the Rethugs off the face of America, and once there is only one center right party standing, maybe we can make the next one "I'll try the lean to the left" flavor (please!).
patrick in Beijing
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Pangolin Posted 10:10 pm
29 Feb 2008
These dummies are stupid enough to think that bacteria and viruses only attack poor people and therefore deny them health care. Morons, drug-resistant TB breeds in people with poor access to medical care and then jumps to the general populace just like every other drug-resistant infection.
They also don't believe in evolution.
They believe in profits, guns and economic control by rich white old guys.
If nobodies noticed John Mcain has Dubya's wholehearted endorsement.
Clue!! People!!
Put the Carbon Back
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Seagal Posted 4:28 pm
03 Aug 2008
I don't know why this was even on the internet or noteworthy. This story is to try to bring up dirt from the past because Exxon is back in the news.
According to the senate.gov website, during the U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes of the 101st Congress - 1st Session (1989) (of which this was one of the many things Congress voted on that session), of 70 "motions to table", 55 were agreed to table including the double hull resolution.
He did vote in favor to consolidate and improve laws providing compensation and establishing liability for oil spills.
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/rol ...
At least McCain votes on issues. Obama never takes a real stand. He's busy sponsoring bills to have certain people on stamps. Real important.
Do a little research too to make sure these e-mails are legit and not taken out of context as this one clearly was. 50 other Senators voted to table the double hull resolution as well - not just McCain.
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