Three spills of oil In Puerto Rico, who had important repercussions on environmental policy and international regulations, they are the protagonists of the book just published by the renowned geologist Pedro A. Gelabertwho had a vital role in the response to these emergencies.
Under the title “Petroleum spills for cistern ships Ocean Eagle and Zoe ColocoTroni and their relationship with environmental laws”Gelabert narrates the details of the litigation related to these accidents, sustained in the documentation of judicial cases and their personal archives. In the case of Puerto Rico, for example, events summarized in the text gave way to the creation of agencies, such as the Environmental Quality Board.
“The unforgettable experience in the oil spills of Ocean Eagle and the Zoe ColocoTroni deeply penetrated the awareness of all the people we were involved, causing us a sudden, dramatic and intense change in our feelings for the well -being of nature “Said Gelabert, in writing.
On March 3, 1968, Eagle Ocean hit the bottom of the entrance channel of the San Juan Baydeparting in two and spilling 3.7 million gallons that affected the north coast of the island. In the book, it is explained how the governments of Puerto Rico and the United States distributed responsibilities to face the situation.
Five years later, on March 18, 1973, the Zoe Colocrotoni intentionally spilled 1.7 million gallons of oil, running in a reef of the southern coast. The text describes the control and cleaning operations, as well as details of the case in the Federal Courts in Puerto Rico and Boston. This spill established a worldwide legal precedent, imposing a payment for ecological damages.
“Although the stipulated payment did not cover all the environmental damages incurred, according to the plaintiffs, It was a sufficient substantial amount to establish a world legal precedent that has no monetary price ”Gelabert, current member of the Board of Directors of the directors of the directors of the San Juan Bay Estuary.
The third event embodied in the book is that of the barge Morris J. Bermanwhich crashed on January 7, 1994 when the tugboat cable was split that dragged it loaded with bunker C. with this spill, it was demonstrated that laws and regulations evolved to impose criminal consequences and payments for environmental damage to those responsible.
“The people of Puerto Rico have an immense debt of gratitude with all those who participated in the arduous task of restoring the natural environment of the coastrenewing the ecosystem, safeguarding the quality of life, ensuring the future well -being and human health of society, ”said Gelabert, who was secretary of the Natural and Environmental Resources Departmentdirector of the Caribbean Division of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency and member of the United Nations Environment Program.
The book is available for sale at the headquarters of the estuary and in Amazon. The prologue was written by the ecologist and engineer Carl Soderbergand the edition was in charge of Sandra I. Villerrael.
“This book provides personal brushstrokes, which confirm the prodigious mind and the undisputed vocation of Public Pedro. Brenda Torres Barreto.