Exxon Valdez Spill

Setting the scene

The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred March 24, 1989, when the oil tanker Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of crude oil. The captain, Joseph Hazelwood, was allegedly drunk and had left an unlicensed officer in charge. The spill covered 1,300 miles of coastline.

What happened

The spill killed 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, and billions of salmon eggs. Cleanup cost $2 billion but was largely ineffective—oil remains in beaches today. Exxon paid $1 billion in settlements and $5 billion in punitive damages later reduced to $500 million.

Why it still matters

The spill led to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 requiring double-hulled tankers and created the modern environmental movement's focus on corporate accountability. March 24, 1989, remains the archetypal oil spill, demonstrating the environmental cost of fossil fuel dependence.

Background

Double-hull rules tightened.