Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, March 16, 1990 TAG: 9003162209
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ANCHORAGE, ALASKA LENGTH: Medium
Lee Raymond, Exxon Corp. president, said at a news conference that winter storms had cleaned some of the gummy residue of the nation's worst oil spill, caused when the Exxon Valdez ran aground March 24 on a charted reef.
But he said a tour of the beaches a week and a half ago showed him that much work remains to be done beyond the $2 billion the company reports it has already spent on the effort.
Raymond declined to say how many people would join the clean-up effort.
David Kennedy, oil spill coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said earlier this week that he expected the Exxon work force to number in the hundreds, rather than approach the 10,000 hired last year.
NOAA has suggested Exxon crews pick up tarballs and oiled debris by hand, break up asphalt and tar mats with shovels, and spray fertilizer over the contaminated sand and gravel to promote natural bacteria that eat oil.
Only in extreme cases should heavy machinery be brought in, Kennedy said. Heavy machinery such as plows can be used to turn over gravel to expose it to oxygen and sunlight, helping the natural breakdown of oil.
A multiagency group is to conduct a shoreline survey in April and turn in a work plan by May 1, Harrison said. Work will begin the first of May or as soon as weather permits.
Exxon's plan must be approved by Coast Guard Adm. David Ciancaglini, the federal on-scene coordinator.
by CNB