There was another eruption of Mt. ReDoubt last night at midnight, and another early this morning. There is seismic activity in the area of the volcano being reported at this time.In Chevron's statement made Wednesday, they stated, "We understand how important our role is in keeping the oil flowing for the benefit of the residents of Southcentral Alaska. Our goal is to safely resume operations as quickly as possible."
Wrong. That is not the benefit residents of Southcentral Alaska are seeking. With over 6 million gallons of oil threatening Cook Inlet and the surrounding waters, resuming Chevron's profit-making operations is not our primary concern...the safety of our environment is.
The Cook Inlet Pipeline Company has landed an assessment team at the Drift River Terminal. Although they espouse a confidence in the containment dikes around the tank farm, they have changed the tone of their statement issued Wednesday. Today, Chevron's current statement is, "The initial goal is to prepare the facility to load a tanker as soon as is safely possible."
Let's hope that things remain quiet so that they can follow through on this.
- photo of Mt. ReDoubt viewed from the south, looking over the ash-covered Crescent Valley by Game McGimsey courtesy of AVO