From the introduction: "Just suppose that there is an Oil Company, and it's called EX-CON. And suppose that it has tankers cruising all around the world, delivering oil. And suppose that one of these tankers is sailing around off the coast of Alaska. And just suppose the captain can't hold his liquor and has headed back to his cabin to sleep it off. And just suppose that the guy in charge of swabbing the deck is now piloting the ship and he accidentally hits a reef with the ship and spills oil all over the coast of Alaska. This situation is, of course, theoretical. But if this did happen, then you'd have... THE GREAT ALASKAN CLEAN-UP"