Rebecca Tarbotton, executive director of the environmental group RainforestActionNetwork, died Wednesday while caught in the surf in Mexico near Puerto Vallarta.
According to the RainforestActionNetwork, however, the injured ecosystem and human communities have not recovered and the spill continues to be the most damaging oil spill in history.
"It was a courageous move for Ford to open the door to its critics, " says Jennifer Krill of RainforestActionNetwork, which does all it can to publicize the contribution of SUVs to atmospheric carbon.