Editorials
Thursday, May 16, 1996

Oil spill, crash should
spur safety efforts

TWO disasters on opposite ends of the nation illustrate the dangers of society's dependence on technology. In Hawaii, a break in a pipeline carrying oil from the Chevron refinery at Barbers Point spilled oil into Pearl Harbor near Hawaiian Electric Co.'s Waiau power plant. The oil spill here posed a threat to wildlife and forced a temporary closing of the Arizona Memorial. In Florida, a ValuJet DC-9 crashed into the Everglades, killing all 109 people on board.

These disasters go with the territory. When you rely on oil as a prime energy source, you run the risk of spills, whether from tankers or pipelines. When you travel by air, you run the risk of crashes. The challenge is to keep such disasters to a minimum.

Hawaii has experienced several oil spills over the years, but fortunately no huge ones. The current spill of 25,200 gallons of heavy fuel oil is relatively small. But as a Chevron spokesman explained, the cost of the cleanup will run into millions because of the nature of the fuel, which is difficult to handle.

Although the company has a pipe inspection program in operation, it failed to detect the weak spot before the leak occurred. This experience should spur Chevron to greater efforts to prevent a recurrence - and the state to closer supervision. The islands' dependence on a clean environment as an attraction for tourism makes prevention even more important.

The Florida crash has raised questions about the safety of economy-fare airlines and the adequacy of Federal Aviation Administration safety inspections. This was probably inevitable, but until the cause of the crash is established - and it will not be for some time - fault finding will be premature.

The American people expect that air travel will be safe, whether it be on the main-line, established airlines or cost-cutting newcomers. Aviation deregulation was not intended to mean, nor should it mean, scrimping on safety. In fact, the safety record of the U.S. airline industry is admirable. Air travel is far safer, for example, than automobiles.

The FAA, under orders from President Clinton, has already announced plans to speed up the hiring of more safety inspectors, which will help. The investigation of the ValuJet crash may generate ideas for further improvements.


Other editorials in brief:

Dole's resignation

BEHIND in the opinion polls but with plenty of time before election day, Bob Dole is leaving Congress to devote full time to his quest for the presidency. His resignation as Senate majority leader and from the Senate itself reveals his recognition that he faces an uphill battle against Bill Clinton, and a part-time campaign would not have sufficed.


Aerial advertising

THE opinion by a University of Hawaii law professor defending a proposed ordinance banning aerial advertising is reassuring. Honolulu is a more attractive city because billboards and garish signs are not allowed. It would be unfortunate if a legal loophole permitted circumvention of this policy by advertising in the sky.



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Rupert E. Phillips, CEO

John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher

David Shapiro, Managing Editor

Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor

Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors

A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor



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