20 years ago today.
In March 1989, the Exxon Valdez supertanker, with an inebriated captain, ran aground on Bligh Reef, ruptured and spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound, contaminating about 900 miles of shoreline.
The damage to the fishing industry and to native subsistence hunting lasted for years. Exxon originally was ordered by a federal court to pay $5 billion in punitive damages in 1994. A federal appeal in 2006 reduced it to $2.5 billion
On June 25, 2008, the United States Supreme Court further reduced the damages to just over $500 million.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Flashback: Exxon Valdez
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1 comment:
Guess what? There's a volcano erupting in Alaska and Chevron has six million gallons of oil downstream.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/akmuckraker/drain-baby-drain-6-millio_b_179157.html
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