NAME:_______________________________________DATE:_________PER:______

CASE STUDY: THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL

1) View: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: In the Wake of Disaster/Retro Report/The New

York Times(12:10 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaRdUHrUnBs

2) Use the website below to research and answer the questions on a separate sheet.

Reference: http://www.evostc.state.ak.us/ ( I suggest checking the Q & A section first)

a) When and where did the oil spill occur?

b) Who was the captain of the ship?

c) How did the accident happen?

d) How much oil was the ship carrying? How much oil, in gallons, was spilled?

e) At the time, The Exxon Valdez spill was the largest oil spill in the U.S.. However it does not even rank

in the top 50 worldwide. Why was it considered to be

one of the worst oil spills in terms of environmental

damage?

f) How many miles of shoreline were impacted by the oil?

g) How did wave action from winter storms affect the oiled beaches?

h) List and briefly describe methods used to clean up the oil. ( Hot water treatment, high pressure, mechanical

cleanup, bioremediation)

i) How many animals (and type) are estimated to have died due to the spill?

j) Describe two ways in which oil harms wildlife.

k) How were the animals cleaned?

l) What were the criminal and civil settlements dollar amounts? ( see “Settlement”)

m) Is there still lingering oil? ( see “Lingering Oil”)

CASE STUDY: BP/GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL 1) View: “Timeline of the Gulf oil disaster”—National Wildlife Fed.

(4:23 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSemeLtri3o

2) View: “ Stories from the Gulf / NRDC” –NRDCflix ( 21:33 min)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a-QOKVS9lo

a) How many people were killed in the BP Oil Spill?

b) How much oil was spilled?

c) How long did it take to stop the flow of oil?

d) What steps were taken to fix the problem?

e) Where did the accident occur?

f) What states were impacted?

g) List the economic impact the oil spill had on local businesses. ( Tourist trade, fishing industry, etc)

h) What is dispersant?

i) List physical symptoms people in the area suffered from exposure after the spill.

j) What is unique about the Louisiana coastal area? How is it impacted by the oil industry?

k) As of Dec. 2010, how much money has BP spent on cleanup? ( http://www.bp.com/en_us/bp-

us/community/commitment-to-the-gulf-of-mexico.html )

3) View “Deepwater Horizon Blowout Animation”—Alertometer (11:22 min).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NQ8LehUWSE

This is an interesting, technical, account of what caused

the accident.