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Exxon Valdez Oil SpillExxon Valdez Oil Spill

ABSTRACT

In March of 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil taner ran a!ro"nd on Bli!h Reef in #rince $illia%

So"nd, Ala&a' An ei!hteen foot (ide hole (a& ripped into the h"ll, and 1)'9 %illion !allon& of

cr"de oil &pilled into the ocean' In the follo(in! (ee&, %an* thin!& tran&pired' Thi& paper (ill

di&c"&& the clean"p, the da%a!e, and the re&"lt& of the +i!!e&t oil &pill in nited State& hi&tor*'

On March -., 1989, in #rince $illia% So"nd Ala&a, the Exxon Valdez (a& %o/in! So"th $e&t

after lea/in! #ort Valdez' The &hip (a& carr*in! o/er fift* %illion !allon& of cr"de oil' $hen the

Valdez (a& onl* t(ent*0ei!ht %ile& fro% the port, it ran a!ro"nd on Bli!h reef' The +otto% (a&

ripped open, and 1)'9 %illion !allon& of orth Slope Cr"de Oil &pilled into the frozen Ala&an(ater& at a rate of t(o h"ndred tho"&and !allon& per %in"te' The re%ainin! fort*0t(o %illion

!allon& (ere off loaded' In the en&"in! da*&, %ore than 1,-)) %ile& of &horeline (ere hit (ith

oil' Thi& area incl"ded fo"r ational $ildlife Ref"!ee&, three ational #ar&, and Ch"!ach

ational 2ore&t'

$ithin ho"r&, &%aller taner /e&&el& arri/ed in order to off load the re%ainin! oil' nfort"natel*,

the clean"p effort (a& hindered +* an inade3"ate clean"p plan that had +een created d"rin! the

194)5&' The&e plan& o"tlined ho( an oil &pill (o"ld +e handled, incl"din! pro/i&ion& for

%aintainin! e3"ip%ent &"ch a& contain%ent +oo%& and 6&i%%er +oat&'6 The plan& al&o called

for a re&pon&e tea% to +e on t(ent*0fo"r ho"r notice' nfort"natel*, the plan& (ere !ood on

paper onl*' A &pill of thi& &ize had not +een anticipated' Therefore, the re&pon&e tea%& had +een

de%o+ilized, and the e3"ip%ent that (a& &"ppo&ed to +e read* at all ti%e& (a& either too far

a(a* or nonexi&tent'' #recio"& ho"r& (ere al&o (a&ted a& Corporation&, the Ala&an State

7o/ern%ent, and the ational !o/ern%ent ar!"ed o/er (ho &ho"ld tae control of the &it"ation'

The ar!"%ent& en&"ed after de+ate& o/er (ho (o"ld pa* for (hat, (ho (a& re&pon&i+le for

(hat, and (ho (o"ld do the +e&t o+'

The local fi&her%en (ere a +i! help (ith the clean"p effort' The* +attled (ith the oil in order to

protect their ind"&tr*' Man* fi&her%an (ere &een in ro(0+oat& in the &%all coa&tal inlet&' Thefi&her%en (ored +* hand to clean "p the oil, "&in! +"cet& to &coop "p the oil, (hich (a&

&e/eral inche& thic on top of the (ater in &o%e place&' 2i&her%en (o"ld lea/e in the %ornin!

and ret"rn (hen their +oat (a& filled (ith oil' The oil that the* &cooped o"t (a& then depo&ited at

&pecial collection &ite&' The fi&her%en al&o "&ed their +oat& to help (ith the deplo*%ent of

contain%ent +oo%&' The +oo%& (o"ld +e fa&tened +ehind the +oat& and then dra!!ed into place'

o(e/er, the +oo%& (ere not al(a*& helpf"l do to chopp* &ea&' Man* fi&her%en al&o +eca%e

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te%porar* e%plo*ee& of Exxon, recei/in! excellent pa* on an ho"rl* +a&i&'

The clean"p (a& a lon! and tirin! proce&& (hich (a& pla!"ed +* %an* diffic"ltie&' Inexperience

(a& a %aor pro+le%' Coa&t 7"ard Vice Ad%iral Cl*de Ro++in& explained in di&!"&t that, 6It

(a& al%o&t a& if that &pill (a& the fir&t one that the* had e/er had'6 The e3"ip%ent (a& not read*

and not in perfect &hape and the re&pon&e tea%& (ere not e3"ipped to deal (ith a &pill of the

%a!nit"de that occ"rred' Other diffic"ltie& aro&e d"e to the for%at that (a& "&ed +* the exec"ti/e

co%%ittee in char!e of the clean"p &pill' The* had &et the%&el/e& "p in &"ch a (a* that e/er*

%e%+er of the co%%ittee had /eto po(er' Thi& (a& a re&"lt of the ori!inal conflict& that too

place +et(een corporation& the &tate !o/ern%ent and the ational !o/ern%ent' It (a& nearl*

i%po&&i+le to !et all of the %e%+er& of the co%%ittee to a!ree on one partic"lar plan of action'

The nat"ral factor& al&o %ade the clean"p a diffic"lt proce&&' The Ala&an (ilderne&& i& a r"!!ed

co"ntr*' Roc* &horeline& %ade +each (or diffic"lt, and the cold (eather %ade (orin! lon!

ho"r& /er* diffic"lt' Another pro+le% (ith the cold (eather (a& that it pre/ented the oil fro%+reain! do(n' nder nor%al (eather condition&, the oil (o"ld ha/e +e!an to deco%po&e,

(hich (o"ld ha/e %ade it ea&ier to deal (ith' There (ere al&o pro+le%& (ith hi!h (ind&, (hich

(ere often in exce&& in of fort* not&'

#erhap& the %o&t intere&tin! pro+le% that clean"p (orer& had to deal (ith (a& (ith the

(ildlife' There (a& act"all* one reported ca&e of an Ala&an +ro(n +ear attacin! a (orer that

(a& on the +each' All of the&e factor& co%+ined to %ae the clean"p %ore diffic"lt then

anticipated'

The clean"p proce&& (a& pro+a+l* the %o&t expen&i/e oil &pill clean"p in hi&tor*' o(e/er, thetotal co&t i& "nno(n and &till !ro(in!' Exxon paid %ore than fi/e +illion dollar&, incl"din!

t(ent* %illion to &t"d* the &pill' #art of the rea&on that the clean"p effort (a& &o expen&i/e (a&

the a%o"nt of (orer& that (ere "&ed in the effort' Exxon had approxi%atel* ele/en tho"&and

%en and (o%en on it& pa*roll, incl"din! te%porar* (orer&' The a/era!e (orer recei/ed

:1;';9 per ho"r' Altho"!h there (a& no &et n"%+er of ho"r& that the (orer& co%peted per

(ee, one tho"&and ei!ht h"ndred dollar& (a& a nor%al pa*chec for one (ee' Exxon (a& al&o

in need of %an* &%all +oat& to help (ith the deplo*%ent of contain%ent +"o*&, and to +e "&ed a&

floatin! o+&er/ation &tation&'

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a&&e&& the da%a!e that (a& ca"&ed +* the &pill' The&e &t"die& (ill contin"e far into the f"t"re

al&o'

In the end, the clean"p effort (a& relati/el* &"cce&&f"l' #erhap& the %o&t &"cce&&f"l part of the

clean"p in/ol/ed an experi%ental techni3"e' Thi& techni3"e in/ol/ed the "&e of Inopol EA#--'

Inopol-- i& a nitro!en pho&phoro"& fertilizer %ix' The co%po"nd i& &pra*ed on oil that ha& +een

(a&hed "p on +eache&' The fertilizer then enco"ra!e& the !ro(th of "oil eating"+acteria (hich

nat"rall* exi&t in &%all n"%+er&' The Inopol techni3"e (a& /er* &"cce&&f"l, +"t it (a& not (idel*

"&ed d"e to "ncertaint* a& to the po&&i+le &ide effect&'

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it co"ld ca"&e +lindne&& (hich (o"ld then ca"&e &tar/ation'

2i&h (ere al&o effected +* the oil &pill, ho(e/er, the extent of the ca&"altie& i& "nno(n' 2i&hin!

i& a h"!e ind"&tr* in Ala&a, &o there ha& +een %"ch concern o/er the (elfare of the fi&h' Man*

nati/e& al&o li/e +* &"+&i&tence fi&hin!' #in &al%on and herrin! (ere the t(o &pecie& that

people (ere %o&t concerned a+o"t' #in &al%on i& the +i!!e&t co%%ercial fi&h in Ala&an

(ater&, %an* people (ere afraid that the &al%on pop"lation (o"ld need *ear& to reco/er,

ho(e/er, &t"die& ha/e &ho(n that the effect of the oil on &pa(nin!, e!!&, and fr* (a& ne!li!i+le'

Chro%ato!raph* te&t& ha/e al&o &ho(n that there are no h*drocar+on& in the fle&h of %o&t of the

fi&h' Tho&e that do ha/e h*drocar+on& in their fle&h ha/e a le/el that i& &o lo( a& to +e %ea&"red

in the part& per +illion ran!e' errin! i& al&o a h"!e co%%ercial fi&h in Ala&a' The 1988 catch

*ielded t(el/e point three %illion dollar&' In 1989, after the &pill, herrin! (a& declared 6off

li%it&6 to fi&her%en' o(e/er, thi& (a& co%pen&ated +* a &al%on catch that (a& &ix ti%e& a& +i!

a& it had +een in 1988' In 199), (hen herrin! fi&hin! re&"%ed, it ret"rned to nor%al le/el&' The

da%a!e to the fi&hin! ind"&tr* (a& not nearl* a& +ad a& had +een anticipated' &ha Varana&i,director of the OAA5& En/iron%ental Con&er/ation =i/i&ion in S