[EPA press release - August 2, 1989]

EPA Administrator William K. Reilly will be available to the press in Anchorage, Alaska, this weekend after a visit to Prince William Sound.

WHEN: 10 a.m., Saturday, August 5

WHERE: Whitby Room, Captain Cook Hotel

The Anchorage appearance is Reilly's last stop on an Alaska itinerary that will have taken him to Valdez and Cordova to see for himself the cleanup of the Exxon Valdez spill. The trip is Reilly's second visit to Alaska since becoming head of EPA. Reilly was in Valdez immediately after the March oil spill with Samuel Skinner, Secretary of the Department of Transportation, and Admiral Paul Yost, Coast Guard Commandant.

Reilly is especially interested in inspecting the oil-drenched beaches in Snug Harbor on Knight Island that EPA scientists have treated with nutrients designed to speed the breakdown of the oil. Early reports indicated that the EPA experiment might be successful. If those early reports hold up, the technique could be applied widely throughout Prince William Sound and other areas hit by the spill.