Hidden Scourge: Exposing the Truth about Fossil Fuel Industry Spills

"This is a remarkable investigation that should open many eyes, and perhaps many hearts." Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature

"This book is bound to become a seminal work for anyone concerned with the impact of the fossil fuel industry on our land, health, and governments. Kevin Timoney reveals the environmental regulation of the oil industry as a national embarrassment." Kevin Taft, author of Oil's Deep State

“Kevin Timoney has produced an excoriating account of exceptional regulatory incompetence and negligence in the management of oil industry spills, which inspires shock and anger while being an almost confusingly enjoyable and enlightening read. More often than not, the first thing that companies and governments announce when a major spill is revealed is that there is no evidence of environmental damage, and that the cleanup will be complete. Read this work and you’ll never believe those words again.” William F. Donahue, environmental consultant

"This book uniquely documents the critical role that regulators in both Canada and the US, charged with protecting the environment and preventing or mitigating spills, played as enablers. Regulators who could or should have known better endorsed statements of "no environmental harm" and allowed perpetrators to get off if they simply said "every effort is being made to prevent such spills in the future." Apart from documenting such deceit, the author provides photographic accounts of his ecological assessments, documenting long-term changes in habitats impacted by oil. The book features many color photographs illustrating oil-impacted ecosystems as compared to similar but unimpacted ecosystems. Recommended. All readers." CHOICE

“[Hidden Scourge] reads like a detective story, but it’s not for the faint of heart … a damning indictment of governments and regulators, especially in Alberta, for abandoning their duty to protect the environment and ensure industry operates in the interest of the public.” Albertaviews

“A must-read for oil historians and environmental historians seeking to understand the ecological impacts of fossil fuel industry spills.” H-Environment