Exxon Valdez Oil Spill 10 Years Later Abridged Story From a news story by March 24, 1999
Two powerful tugboats now are tethered to every oil tanker that leaves the oil terminal at Valdez, Alaska. It has been a decade since the Exxon Valdez disaster. There is equipment in place to try to prevent another oil spill. Still, there is always a risk in moving oil. Exxon spent two billion dollars in clean-up costs after the oil spill. Exxon spent 300 million dollars in compensation to fishermen, native Alaskans, and others. Scientists do not agree on how well the area has recovered from the oil spill. Only eagles and river otters qualify as "recovered". Sea otters and killer whales are not considered "recovered". These animals are four of the 28 species of fish and wildlife monitored by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council. The Oil Spill Trustee Council spent one hundred million dollars studying fish and wildlife. It decided that the area is on a long road to recovery. That decision has angered both environmentalists and Exxon. Frank Sprow is an Exxon vice president. He says that Prince William Sound is a healthy ecosystem. He says that the plants and animals in the sound are healthy and vital. Riki Ott is a community activist in Cordova, Alaska. Ott says, "We should see wheeling flocks of sea birds, diving into schools of herring. We should see killer whales splashing through the water, chasing salmon. We should hear otters, crunching on mussels. We're not hearing any of that. It's a much quieter place right now." Dozens of beaches have remnants of Exxon Valdez oil. Winter storms churn up the oil each year. Scientists say that even very small amounts of the oil in water can damage animals. A decade after the oil spill, Exxon has recovered financially. Ten years ago, Exxon's annual profits dipped to three billion dollars. The company's profits now have risen to more than eight billion dollars.
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