ADVISORY/Experts Available to Discuss Effects of Oil Spill in Spain.

Business Editors

ADVISORY...

--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 21, 2002

TOPIC: The sunken tanker Prestige leaked another 800,000 gallons of oil into the waters off the coast of Spain yesterday, according to an article by USA TODAY. The Spanish government stated about 90 beaches have been damaged by the oil spill and the estimated cost of the spill so far is $42 million. Furthermore, fisherman along the Costa de la Muerte are unable to fish the waters for mussels, octopus, sardines and other fish and marine life. EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story: -0-


Richard Hobbie has over 31 years of marine pollution experience. He is
the President of the WQIS, the Water Quality Insurance Syndicate, the
largest underwriter of marine vessels in the United States. Mr. Hobbie
has served as an advisor to U.S. Delegations for International
Pollution Liability and has testified before Congress on U.S.
Pollution liability. As the leader of MPRG, the Marine Pollution
Response Group, Mr. Hobbie is a recognized expert in cleanup and
restoration of natural resources. MPRG responds to approximately 250
spills a year in the U.S. Mr. Hobbie can also explain the differences
in liabilities between U.S. OPA 90 legislation and Europe's less
stringent current requirements under CLC 92 (Civil Liability
Convention). Mr. Hobbie has worked on many spills. One example is that
of the barge MORRIS J. BERMAN, the largest barge spill in U.S.
History. The barge grounded off the reef near Punta Escambron, San
Juan, Puerto Rico on January 7, 1994. The barge spilled approximately
800,000 gallons of #6 oil on the reef. Cost of cleanup was about
$130,000,000. The vessel was taken to deep water where it was
intentionally sunk by order of the Coast Guard in cold water. The
remaining oil stayed down. About WQIS: WQIS is the largest underwriter
of marine vessels in the United States. WQIS provides water pollution
liability insurance for over 40,000 vessels operating in U.S. waters
or traveling in international waters between U.S. ports. WQIS also
provides COFR guarantees for over 2,500 vessels to the U.S. Coast
Guard. Founded in 1971, WQIS is also the most experienced marine
pollution underwriter in the U.S. With MPRG (Marine Pollution Response
Group), WQIS' emergency response arm, WQIS has the most skilled and
best equipped team for spill cleanup in existence. Only the U.S. Coast
Guard has responded to more spills than MPRG in the U.S. WQIS'
subscribers include 15 of the largest insurers in the U.S. And more
than $30 billion backs a WQIS policy.
PR: David Price, 212-243-2022,
[e-mail]

A. Barry Cappello is managing partner of the Santa Barbara, California
law firm of Cappello & McCann and author of the book Lender Liability
(450 pages, LEXIS Publishers), the first and leading treatise on the
subject. Mr. Cappello has gained recognition as one of the nation's
leading plaintiffs' trial lawyers and authorities on complex
commercial litigation, including lender liability, class action and
environmental litigation. Mr. Cappello has contributed numerous
articles on complex business litigation, lender liability and advanced
trial techniques to business, legal, accounting and trade
publications. Publications include Trial, the Daily Journal, Trial
Diplomacy Journal, the National Law Journal, Cashflow, Small Business
Advisor and the Commercial Real Estate Journal. He has appeared on
local and national radio and television programs including "20/20" and
on CNN. Mr. Cappello frequently speaks to legal and business audiences
around the country including the American Bar Association, Los Angeles
County Bar Association and the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los
Angeles. Before entering private practice, Mr. Cappello served a
seven-year tenure as City Attorney of Santa Barbara. During that
period, he was the chief litigator against Union Oil, Mobil, Gulf and
Texaco for the massive 1969 Santa Barbara Channel oil spill. The
disaster and the ensuing litigation awakened the nation's
consciousness to the dangers to our environment and the tragic
consequences if not protected.
PR Contact: Diane Rumbaugh, 805-493-2877,
[e-mail]

Steven M. Waters, Managing Director of LECG's Salt Lake City Office
and Senior Managing Economist, specializes in environmental damage
valuations, antitrust, intellectual property, and general economic and
business issues in a litigation setting. In his environmental
practice, Dr. Waters has prepared and worked on natural resource
damage assessments related to mining, dioxin, PCBs, and oil spills.
His econometric and statistical modeling has been used in natural
resource damages as well as in non-environmental cases involving
antitrust issues, price fixing allegations, railroad derailment risk,
insurance claims, and patent damages. Dr. Waters received his Ph.D.
from the University of California, San Diego, has testified in State
Court, and has presented theoretical and empirical papers at academic
conferences and seminars.
801-321-6321

Mack DeVine is CEO of MYCELX Technologies Corp. is an environmental
company whose technology is used in oil spill remediation and
industries affected by hydrocarbon pollution (i.e. cruise lines, oil
companies, utilities, marinas). He has more than 25 years of
multi-industry experience as president and CEO of companies traded on
all three stock exchanges. His expertise is in company start-ups and
managing fast growth. DeVine holds degrees from Harvard Business
School and the University of South Florida. MYCELX Technology has been
featured in Environmental Protection magazine and numerous marine and
scientific journals.
PR: Kate Maine, 770-536-8921,
[e-mail]

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