European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 31, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Wednesday january 31, 1990 the stars and stripes Page 5 Hazelwood goes on trial in Valdez spill Anchorage Alaska not Joseph j. Hazel Wood who once commanded the Pride of the Exxon corp s Fleet or Oil tankers went on trial monday on charges that he was largely responsible for the worst Oil spill in american history. Hazelwood is facing one felony count of criminal mischief and three Misdemeanour charges operating a vessel while intoxicated reckless endangerment and negligent discharge of Oil. If convicted on All counts the former Captain now a lobster Fisherman in Huntington n.y., could face up to seven years in jail and a Fine of $60,000. Hardwood was Captain of the Exxon Valdez when the 987-foot Tanker ran aground in March and spilled nearly 11 million Gallons of Oil in Prince William sound. He is the Only one thus far to face criminal charges. His lawyers say he is being held solely responsible for an Accident in which Exxon s shipping policies and the coast guard s system of monitoring Tanker traffic arc equally to blame. There s no question that Joe Hazelwood has been made a Scapegoat said Richard Madson Hazel Wood s lawyer in Alaska. There s plenty of fault to go around and they just piled it up on him. Prosecutors say that the 43-year-old Captain was drunk on the night of March 24, when the ship went aground. They claim that the Accident came after a series of mistakes in seamanship. On monday As Hazelwood sat pensively in the courtroom his lawyers argued for dismissal claiming the state of Alaska Aid not have jurisdiction to try him. The motions for dismissal were denied. Superior court judge Karl Johnstone also denied an earlier motion to move the trial out of Alaska. I Oliver North can get a fair trial in Washington ., then capt. Joseph Hazelwood can gel a fair trial in he said. The judge said jury selection could take up to 10 Days As lawyers try to find 12 alaskans whose lives were untouched by the spill. Enough crude Oil gushed from the ruptured Hull of the Exxon Valdez to cover an area More than 1,000 Miles Long comparable to half the coastline of the Eastern Seaboard. Despite a cleanup Effort that May end up costing Exxon As much As s2 billion Only a Small percentage of the Oil was recovered. The Oil poisoned up to 230,000 sea Birds and killed 1,000 sea otters the worst wildlife toll in history from any Oil spill according to the . Fish and wild life service. The trial expected to last up to eight weeks will Deal almost exclusively with the events on the night of the Accident. A few minutes before the Tanker struck Bligh reef. Hazelwood took the ship out of the Normal shipping lanes to avoid huge chunks of ice. He told the third mate Gregory cousins to put the Tanker Back on course after it reached a certain Point. Then he went below deck. Cousins who has not been charged with any come testified in hearings last year that he ordered the ship to turn Back into deeper water. But the ship s recorder shows that the turn was not made until six minutes after cousins said he gave the order. Cousins could not explain the delay. Hazelwood s lawyers have said cousins not the skipper is to blame for the Accident. It All boils Downto what happened in those 10 minutes and who s to blame Madson said. Testimony from the National transportation safety Board hearings last Spring suggested that Hazelwood partially blamed coast guardsman who testified at the hearings said that when he boarded the Tanker shortly after the Accident and asked what had gone wrong Hazelwood replied i think you re looking at a key unanswered question is Why Hazelwood left the Helm of the Tanker when it was negotiating the narrow Channel out of Valdez. The ship had just taken on a cargo of North slope crude Oil before sailing for Long Beach Calif. Prosecutors say Hazelwood who has a history of alcohol problems including two Drunken driving convictions in new York was intoxicated when the ship went aground. Witnesses said last Spring that Hazelwood had been drinking before the ship s departure. But they did not say his judgment was impaired. Blood alcohol tests taken nearly 10 hurs after the Accident showed a level of 0.061 percent far above Joseph j. Hazelwood listens to courtroom arguments. The Federal limit for piloting a Hazelwood will testify and Tell his version of events has t been decided Madson said. Hazelwood said recently he had been misjudged by the d like to get rid of the misconception that i got drunk ran the ship aground and just shrugged my shoulders and walked away. That s not what happened Hazelwood said last week in an interview with the associated press in his new York lawyer s office. Consumer spending up 7.3 percent in 1989 Washington a consumer spending posted its largest increase in three years in 1989, the government re ported monday and analysts said robust incomes should result in continued Pur chasing strength in the first Quarter of 1990. The Commerce department said spending totalled $3.47 trillion a 7.3 per cent gain Over 1988 and the sharpest and Vance since a 6.1 percent increase in 1986. At the same time it said personal in comes Rose 9 percent to $4.43 trillion last year up from 7.6 percent in 1988 and the fastest Advance since rising 9.5 per cent in 1984. You look at those numbers and you kind of wonder Why everybody was talk ing about recession remarked Michael k. Evans head of a Washington forecast ing organization. Those were pretty Good numbers especially the growth in income which was quite the difference Between 1989 earnings and purchases helped boost americans savings rate savings As a percent of disposable income to 5.5 percent from 4.2 percent in 1988. It was the highest rate since i984 s 6.1 percent. Despite the increases in 1989 incomes and consumption the year ended on a sluggish note with economic growth held Back by High interest rates resulting from Federal Reserve efforts to slow inflation by keeping a tight grip on credit. The Commerce department reported last Friday that the Gross National product grew Only 0.5 percent in the october december Quarter Down from a 3 per cent Advance in the third Quarter. The report on the Gnu the nation s total output of goods and services included a rare decline of percent in spending in the fourth Quarter. The year end economic sluggishness was further reflected in monday s rcp9rt of a 0.5 percent increase in personal in come in december Down from the 0.9 percent gains in both october and no vember. The december figure was the smallest Advance since a 0.2 percent Rise in september and reflected a seasonally adjusted annual spending rate of $4.57 trillion. The december increase was boosted by a return to work following strikes in the aircraft and Telephone industries an was reduced by decreases in retroactive social Security Benefit payments and in subsidy payments to farm proprietors the Commerce department said. But at the same time Consumers in creased their spending in december by i percent up from 0.3 percent in both october and november and the largest in crease since a i percent gain in totalled a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $3.58 trillion. Much of the december increase com Merce said was spent on fuel Oil electricity and natural Gas because of unusually cold weather. Nevertheless Sandra Shabir. An economist with the futures group said con Sumers still were spending As the year ended although cautiously. Well Sec an improvement in con Sumer spending in the first Quarter of 1990, she said. We already see an in crease in car sales which made the whole fourth Quarter look so Nasa rearranges schedule for space shuttle launches Sands of time Cape canaveral Fla. A Nasa on monday announced a shuffle in its space shuttle launch schedule reducing from 10 to nine the number of flights this year and aiming for 12 flights in 1992 and 13 in 1993. The new 1990 schedule reflects a delay in two of the first three missions and shifting of some flight priorities. The dropped 1990 flight that of a strategic defense initiative payload was put off nearly 14 months until january 1992. The space Agency s new Long Range launch schedule also Calls for eight flights in 1991.11 in 1994 and 11 in 1995. This year s planned nine flights be came 10 when a december launch of co Lumbia did t get off until Jan. 9. The new Manifest for the remainder of 1990 includes feb. 22, Atlantis with a defense department payload that reportedly Isan advanced reconnaissance satellite. April 10, discovery with the Hub ble space Telescope. May 9, Columbia with an astronomy Laboratory. July 8, Atlantis with a defense department payload. Aug. 29, Columbia with a space life sciences Laboratory. Oct. 5, discovery with the Ulysses spacecraft to study the Sun. Nov. 3, Atlantis with the Gamma Ray Observatory to study deep space. Dec. 12 Columbia with the International microgravity Laboratory. In the stars and stripes 40 years ago today. Jan. 31, 1950 the Aga Khan aghast at the poverty he saw in India said he would spend the millions his ismali followers would give him on science instead of horses and jewelry. 30 years ago today. Jan. 31, 1960 the army began issuing its new Rifle the m-14, following a delay brought on by America s 116-Day steel strike. 20 years ago today Jan. 31, 1970 the defense department began an Effort to help police fight crime in the nation s capital by offering a five month Early release from Active duty if they joined the Police Force. 10 years ago today. Jan. 31, 1980 iranian foreign minister Sadegh Ghotb Zadeh strongly condemned the Canadian government for smuggling six american diplomats out of Iran calling the action a flagrant violation of International Law a betrayal of Iran and a brutal act of
