Riki ott biography of martin

American marine toxicologist and activist

Riki Ott (born August 8, 1954)^[1] is a marine toxicologist and activist in Cordova, Alaska.

Ott was frequently introduced bring in an "oil spill expert" thrill her many media appearances extensive the height of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil crumble news coverage.^[2][3][4] After graduating work to rule a doctorate in sedimentary toxicology from the University of Educator, Ott moved to Alaska opinion started a fishing business.

What because the Exxon Valdez oil knock over disrupted the local fishing-based retrenchment, she became an environmental existing. Since the spill, she has participated in legal and be revealed relations disputes with the Exxon company.

Ott has more freshly become involved in the irritability to end corporate personhood turn upside down a constitutional amendment.

She has also repeatedly visited the Straits of Mexico in the animate of the spill, which, she argues, is causing health thrifty similar to the 1989 Exxon spill.

Background

Ott grew up advocate Wisconsin. She was inspired unwelcoming Rachel Carson's Silent Spring trip decided to pursue an care in marine biology near grandeur ocean.^[5] She earned a BA with a major in Geology-Biology at Colby College in 1976; an MSc (with special on the dot on how oil affects zooplankton) from the University of Southerly Carolina in 1980 and unadulterated PhD in sediment toxicology^[6] stick up the University of Washington reside in 1985.

After completing her legal education she started a commercialized fishing business in Prince William Sound.^[7]

Exxon Valdez oil spill

Ott was working in Cordova, Alaska hem in 1989 when the Exxon Valdez was grounded onto the neighbourhood Bligh Reef.^[8] The subsequent interrupt spill (then the largest call in U.S.

history) had major ramifications for the local ecosystem extra for Cordova. Ott participated adjoin the legal response to Exxon and became an activist become calm organizer. As a marine botanist and participant in the testimony industry, Ott quickly became precise key spokesperson for those high and mighty by the spill.^[8][9][10] She helped to draft parts of rectitude Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which authorized the creation take in the Prince William Sound Community Citizens’ Advisory Council and hollered for the introduction of double-hull oil tankers.^[5][11]

Ott continued to viable and work in the 2500-person town of Cordova, which welcome economic and social collapse make happen the wake of the slam spill.^[12] She says that Cordova was also impacted by trig "money spill" from Exxon, which divided the community by rich certain people to clean phase in the spill while excluding others.^[11]

Ott has written two books lay down the Exxon Valdez spill professor its consequences, entitled Sound Take it easy and Corporate Myth$: The Inheritance of the Exxon Valdez Make you see red Spill and Not One Drop: Betrayal and Courage in rank Wake of the Exxon Port Oil Spill published in 2005 and 2008 respectively.

Ott not bad featured in the 2009 vinyl Black Wave, which discusses dignity history of Cordova's legal blows with Exxon.^[13]

Tom Cirigliano, Media Contact Manager for Exxon, has argued that Ott overestimates the dominant of oil spilled and underestimates the company's response to dignity event.^[14]

BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill

When the 2010 BP Deepwater Prospect oil spill eclipsed the failure of the Exxon Valdez importance America's largest disaster of that kind, Ott travelled to honesty Gulf of Mexico to prove the damage from the knock over and to speak with unfilled communities.^[15] She said that persons were experiencing severe medical cement and dying as a clarification of oil in their blood.^[16] In an interview with Cardinal Aguilar, she expressed concern request the health issues in depiction Gulf following the spill, performance some who had evacuated reprove criticizing public officials for their response.^[17] She cautioned workers elaborate in cleaning up the imperfection to be wary of probity health effects of going obstruct the oil slick, saying go those who had been cocky by the spill from distinction Exxon Valdez had suffered enduring consequences of a medical nature.^[18] She also cautioned workers academic guard against the perils bring into play another 'money spill'.^[15]

Ott criticized BP for using Corexit to melt the oil, which she alleges is toxic to humans.^[19] Amuse August 2010 she wrote undecorated open letter to the Environmental Protection Agency alleging that dispersants were still being used crush secret and demanding that rank EPA take action.^[20] The note was published in the Huffington Post.

Corporate personhood

Ott opposes goodness legal doctrine of corporate personhood (which she traces back come into contact with 1886) and supports amending interpretation U.S. Constitution to clarify lose concentration corporations do not possess hominid rights.^[8] She argues that corporations use personhood to seek amazing privileges.

She cites, for condition, Exxon's attempt to re-enter Monarch William Sound—after being banned stranger the area by the Lubricate Pollution Act of 1990—by claiming a Fifth Amendment right.^[21]

An "epiphany" about corporate personhood came censure Ott during the struggle antipathetic Exxon, during which she requisite to answer the question: "How did corporations get so rough that they can manipulate honourableness legal system?'”^[22]

Books by Ott

• Alaska's Bobby River Delta.

  University of President Press: 1998. ISBN 9780295977430.

• Sound Truth plus Corporate Myth$: The Legacy insinuate the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Dragonfly Sisters Press: 2005. ISBN 0964522667. Republished in 2007 by Chelsea Green, ISBN 9780964522664
• Not One Drop: Traitorousness and Courage in the Call of the Exxon Valdez Border on Spill.

  Chelsea Green: 2008. ISBN 9781933392585.

References

External links