The Nation : Regatta Protests Exxon Cleanup Efforts

Two dozen boats sailed regatta-style to the Alyeska oil terminal in Valdez, Alaska, displaying banners and blaring horns in a protest against pollution at the terminal and the ineffectiveness of the Exxon oil spill cleanup. Two Exxon tankers and a Liberia-flagged tanker loaded oil as the small protest flotilla paraded in a circle just outside a 200-yard security zone established by the Coast Guard. A handful of kayakers and skiffs joined fishing boats in the protest at the oil terminal, while on shore, picketers carried signs blasting Exxon. The protest came as Exxon winds down its operations and withdraws from the Alaska oil spill cleanup and as Alyeska, which operates the 900-mile pipeline across Alaska and the Valdez terminal, continues to wage a fight against state pollution controls.