ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the use of collaborative strategies designed to improve environmental management practices in the marine oil trade of Alaska. It explores the role of local citizen participation in the progressive development of collaborative policy efforts involving the oil industry and public administrators. The development of these collaborative efforts resulted from policy reforms enacted in response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster in Alaska. In 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez collided with a reef in the Prince William Sound region of Alaska and spilled approximately 11 million gallons of oil into the waters of that region. The oil spilled from the Exxon Valdez subsequently spread over more than 1,000 miles of Alaskan coastline, causing extensive wildlife casualties. In the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez disaster, a new federal law created a requirement for a citizens’ advisory council designed to represent local communities and interest groups in the region affected by oil spilled in the Exxon Valdez disaster.
