Sign-In
Cart
The Day Whatcom Creek Burned: The Olympic Pipeline Disaster and the Fight for Accountability
Paperback
Environmental StudiesGeneral Political ScienceRegional: Pacific Northwest
Publisher Price: $29.95
ISBN13: 9781638640356
Publisher: Basalt Books
Published: Oct 16 2026
Pages: 278
Weight: 0.83
Height: 0.59 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
On June 10, 1999, a gasoline leak in a buried pipeline devastated a quiet corner of Bellingham, Washington. Over 200,000 highly flammable gallons flowed unchecked into Whatcom Creek and ignited into a human and environmental catastrophe now known as the Olympic Pipeline Disaster. A gigantic fireball raced down the creek, ravaging a natural refuge, and a towering plume of black smoke rose in the sky as explosions echoed across the city. Most tragically, the disaster took three young lives--an 18-year-old fly fisherman and two 10-year-old boys.
The shocking events stunned the nation and exposed serious failures in pipeline regulation, oversight, and corporate accountability. Yet from the ashes emerged an extraordinary story of resilience. Refusing to let the tragedy be forgotten, the victims' families and an outraged community challenged one of the nation's most powerful industries, ultimately helping reshape pipeline safety regulations.
Drawing on his firsthand experience as one of the incident investigators for the Washington State Department of Ecology, Ron Holcomb takes readers inside the emergency response, environmental restoration, criminal investigation, and the years-long fight for accountability. The case led to the first-ever criminal convictions of pipeline company executives, more than $100 million in penalties, and the creation of the Pipeline Safety Trust--the nation's only nonprofit organization with a full-time staff dedicated exclusively to pipeline safety. The lessons of Bellingham were paid for at an unbearable cost. They are too important to forget.
Also in
Environmental Studies
Wildly Successful Farming: Sustainability and the New Agricultural Land Ethic
DeVore, Brian
Hardcover
The Darkness Manifesto: On Light Pollution, Night Ecology, and the Ancient Rhythms That Sustain Life
Eklöf, Johan
Hardcover
Something New Under the Sun: An Environmental History of the Twentieth-Century World
McNeill, J. R.
Paperback
Too Many People?: Population, Immigration, and the Environmental Crisis
Angus, Ian
Butler, Simon
Paperback
The Return of Collective Intelligence: Ancient Wisdom for a World Out of Balance
Dyer, Dery
Paperback
Without Reservation: Awakening to Native American Spirituality and the Ways of Our Ancestors
Kritkausky, Randy
Paperback
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
Kimmerer, Robin Wall
Paperback
The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth
Schlanger, Zoë
Paperback
Up on Cove Mountain: Adventure, Tragedy, and a Quest for Meaning on the Appalachian Trail
Swift, Earl
Hardcover
The Traveler: One Man's Quest for Humanity from the South Seas to Revolutionary Paris
Wulf, Andrea
Hardcover
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants
Kimmerer, Robin Wall
Hardcover
Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures
Sheldrake, Merlin
Paperback
The Ghost of the Mountains: Unraveling the Secrets of the Snow Leopard
Suryawanshi, Kulbhushansingh
Hardcover
Our Wild Familiars: How Animals Are Adapting to Cities and Reshaping the Natural World
Werb, Dan
Hardcover
Brought to You by: How Corporations Warped the Truth, Conned the Public, and Broke Democracy
Westervelt, Amy
Hardcover
The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate--Discoveries from a Secret World
Wohlleben, Peter
Hardcover
The World Beneath Our Feet: The Hidden Life of Soil and Why It Matters to Us All
Ashwood, Frank
Hardcover
We Will Be Jaguars (Reese's Book Club Pick): A Memoir of My People
Nenquimo, Nemonte
Anderson, Mitch
Paperback
As If We Were Staying: How We Build a Flourishing Future in a World That's Falling Apart
Scott, Spencer R.
Paperback
The Earth Said Remember Me: How to Revive Our Memories and Restore the Planet
Mark, Jason Dove
Hardcover
Fires in the Night: The Earth Liberation Front, the Fbi, and a Secret History of Eco-Sabotage
Wolfe, Matthew
Hardcover
The Summer of Death: The Great Heat Wave of 1936 and the Making of Modern-Day America
Williams, Geoff
Hardcover
Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization
McKibben, Bill
Hardcover
The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl
Egan, Timothy
Paperback
Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Likes to Walk Outside
Offerman, Nick
Paperback
In the Range of Fire and Ice: A Human and Natural History of Washington's Cascades
Williams, David B.
Hardcover
Plastic Inc.: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil's Biggest Bet
Gardiner, Beth
Hardcover
Nature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard
Tallamy, Douglas W.
Hardcover
Where the Earth Meets the Sky: A Story of Penguins, People, and Place in Antarctica
Blight, Louise K.
Hardcover
Natural Habitats and Wildlife Gardening: Inviting Nature Into Your Backyard
McCoshum, Shaun
Paperback
Romp!: A Journey Through the Natural History of Otters and Why They Matter
Island, Heide, PhD
Hardcover
Wildlife Anatomy: The Curious Lives & Features of Wild Animals Around the World
Rothman, Julia
Paperback
Leave the Lights on: How Joyful Decisions Can Save Our Species
Dunn, Elizabeth
Zhao, Jiaying
Hardcover
Pests & Other Friends: Discover the True Nature of the Most Maligned Animals
Berryman, Halsey
Hardcover
Otherworldly America: Explore the Most Unique Natural Wonders of the United States
Guzman, Jake
Hardcover
Alaska Literary Field Guide: Art, Ecology, Poetry
Holleman, Marybeth
Lord, Nancy
Grace Moler, Shaelene
Paperback
The Problem with Plastic: How We Can Save Ourselves and Our Planet Before It's Too Late
Enck, Judith
Mahoney, Adam
Beyond Plastics
Hardcover
Torched: How a City Was Left to Burn, and the Olympic Rush to Rebuild L.A.
Vigliotti, Jonathan
Hardcover
AP Environmental Science Premium, 2027: Prep Book with 5 Practice Tests + Comprehensive Review + Online Practice
Thorpe, Gary S., M. S.
Paperback
Polar War: Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic
Rosen, Kenneth R.
Hardcover
Clearing the Air: A Hopeful Guide to Solving Climate Change in 50 Questions and Answers
Ritchie, Hannah
Hardcover
Compost After Reading: A Practical Manifesto for Purposeful Decomposition
Marketos, Cassandra
Paperback
Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization
McKibben, Bill
Paperback
On Island Time: A Traveler's Atlas: Illustrated Adventures on and Around the Islands of Washington and British Columbia
O'Leary, Chandler
Paperback
Seasonal Folktales: Myths, Magic & Folklore of the North, from Scotland to Scandinavia
Graham, Morvern
Hardcover
How to Fall in Love with the Future: A Time Traveller's Guide to Changing the World
Hopkins, Rob
Hardcover
Start with a Bear: Humans, Grizzlies, and the Power of Stories on a Crowded Planet
Alagona, Peter S.
Hardcover
Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail
Lankford, Andrea
Paperback
For the Love of Bats: Exploring Nature at Night with the West's Flying Mammals
Desautels, Niki
Paperback
The Carbon Wave: A Story of Democracy, Parenthood, and the Race to Protect Our Planet
Stokes, Leah C.
Hardcover
Mother of God: An Extraordinary Journey Into the Uncharted Tributaries of the Western Amazon
Rosolie, Paul
Paperback
Yosemite Falls: Reckoning with California History and the Gospel of John Muir
Duane, Daniel
Hardcover
Bird Talk: Hilariously Accurate Ways to Identify Birds by the Sounds They Make
Rowland, Becca
Paperback
Let's Become Fungal!: Mycelium Teachings and the Arts: Based on Conversations with Indigenous Wisdom Keepers, Artists, Curators, Feminists and Mycolog
Ostendorf-Rodríguez, Yasmine
Paperback
Provisions: Finding Home Through the Food Folklore of the Appalachian Table
Held Opelt, Amanda
Hardcover
The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas, Revised Edition
Dennis, Jerry
Paperback
At Home in Every Season: Crafts, Activities and Rituals for Families
Adamo, Courtney
Adamo, Michael
Paperback
Nature's Echo: Harnessing Ancient Feedback Loops to Heal a Changing Planet
Crowther, Thomas
Hardcover
5 Steps to a 5: AP Environmental Science 2027: Practice AP Tests + AP Content Review + Digital Exams
Mayer, Courtney
Paperback
Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Revised Edition
Reisner, Marc
Paperback
Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes Through Indigenous Science
Hernandez, Jessica
Paperback
Warden Force: The Worst of the Worst and Other True Game Warden Adventures: Episodes 101-114
Hodges, Terry
Paperback
Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark
Henion, Leigh Ann
Hardcover
Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You Have
Schlossberg, Tatiana
Paperback
The Secret Life of a Cemetery: The Wild Nature and Enchanting Lore of Père-Lachaise
Gallot, Benoît
Paperback
Sea of Grass: The Conquest, Ruin, and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie
Hage, Dave
Marcotty, Josephine
Hardcover
Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants: Identify, Harvest, and Use 120 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness
Kloos, Scott
Paperback
Pacific Northwest Foraging: 120 Wild and Flavorful Edibles from Alaska Blueberries to Wild Hazelnuts
Deur, Douglas
Paperback
The Secret World of Weather: How to Read Signs in Every Cloud, Breeze, Hill, Street, Plant, Animal, and Dewdrop
Gooley, Tristan
Paperback