Environmental Disaster

It was a dark night March 24, 1989 when the Exxon Valdez, 987’ long, 210,000 ton super tanker with 55 millions crude oil on board quietly plied the virgin waters of the Alaska Coast in Prince William Sound.

Exxon had assured the safety and their competence in transporting crude along this coast.  Captain Joe Hazelwood, 42 yr old from Huntington, NY barked a few orders to his 3^rd mate Gregory Cousins, and personally headed off to his captain quarters as he had been drinking.  During his drinking he was heard to say "C'mon ya wimps, one more beer, it's open ocean out there, what're we gonna hit?"

Prince William Sound is the native home to whales, porpoises, sea otters, by the thousands of different species of fish. Third Mate Cousins was neither certified or qualified alone in the wheel house of that massive vessel, and on that dark night the Bligh Reef refused to budge, and a gash was ripped open in one of the massive holds spilling 11 million gallons of black crude oil into one of the most scenic bodies of water in the world. 

The black blanket started it’s deadly move southward 300 miles to Kodiak Island.. Never before had such a sensitive natural showcase, been so massively and suddenly assaulted…. The US government received 2 billion for the clean up…but went back to Exxon for more.  Since then to the amazement of Enviornment Specialist, nature has a unique way of recovering from such tragedies which at the time were so devastating.

Think of it, no hospitals were built, no human graves were dug.  However there was an earlier assault on humanity from which we have and will never naturally speaking recover.  Again it was all through one man’s disobedience. Romans 5:19

For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Adam through one act of disobedience didn’t forsee the stream of tears flow from human cheeks as they stand by their dead, and the open graves.  Tears flow freely during and after the visits to our institutions where once promising lives, have been dismantled and destroyed by drugs and alcohol.

The issue of the tree in the garden of Eden was extremely significant….representing a non negotiable command…plain simple and clear.  Thou shalt not eat of it Genesis 3:17

Our first parents had a perfect environment in which to live…congenial employment in which to work….enjoyable companionship.  It was in the cool of the day God came down to commune with them and to crown their happiness.

However the Bible again reminds in the same verse Romans 5:19b…by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.  The obedient one was the Son of God, who became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross, as we are told in Philippians 2:8

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Murray A. McCandless     2070 Route 121, Norton, NB  E5T 1E9   mmccand@nbnet.nb.ca