by
Melinda Pillsbury-Foster
In 1968
Union Oil decided they needs a new kind of PR representative so they
went into local schools to find boy scouts who would like to learn
about the oil business. One young man, named David Lincoln, then
fourteen, was useful to them the next year in the wake of the Santa
Barbara Spill.
The PR
Representative, who also made an unsuccessful run for State Senate
from Compton, took Dave and a few other boys up to Santa Barbara to
watch the clean-up. Young Dave, who had just turned fifteen, did a
series of appearances on radio shows, reading a script he shared
with the show host, presenting Union Oil as a responsible company,
extremely concerned about the environment.
When Dave
spoke those words he believed them. Men he respected had told him
they were. A quiet boy, Dave enjoyed what he was learning about the
technology of oil drilling. He was encouraged to make working for
oil companies his career, which he did, taking the courses they
recommended at USC, which was nearby for his degree in Geology.
Over the
next 25 years Dave worked for oil companies on seven continents in
increasingly responsible and well paid positions. He began to see
many things which shocked him, but he continued to believe the
industry cared about doing the right thing for people and the
environment.
It was
working directly with Ken Lay, CEO of Enron which changed his mind.
Dave was in
charge of putting a pipeline across the island. Instead of building
this through a pristine forest he tried to persuade Ken Lay to take a
slightly longer, easier route. Lay's sneering comments about the the
damage which would be done to the forest ended in Dave walking away
from a six figure salary and returning to the US. There, he joined
Green Peace, beginning an intense study of how the oil industry
evaded accountability for the shocking damage to life and the
environment Dave knew they were doing.
As an
insider, Dave was able to expose them. As an expert witness in court
Dave's testimony brought clarity to the systemic cover-ups they were
carrying out to optimize their profits with no concern for human
life. No oil company won when Dave was able to give testimony.
A showdown
is finally coming. It will take place on the beach in Santa Barbara
County. Get the popcorn ready.
No comments:
Post a Comment