Exxon Valdez Oil Spill – A Cautionary Tale for Arctic Ocean Drilling
~A footprint fills with oil on Knight Island in Prince William Sound more than 20 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Photo J. Devon By Richard Steiner As the Obama administration prepares to issue final permits for exploratory oil drilling on the outer continental shelf off Alaska’s Arctic coast this summer, the public is hearing some familiar promises from industry and government – the risk of a catastrophic oil spill is small, best available technology will be used to prevent spills, any oil spill will be effectively contained and cleaned up, government will keep a vigilant eye on industry,…
Exxon Valdez – The Final Showdown?
~An Exxon Valdez oil-filled footprint on a beach in Prince William Sound, known as “The Death Marsh” and “Diesel Beach.” Taken July 4, 2010 – twenty-one years after the spill. (photo by Jeanne Devon) By Prof. Rick Steiner In what could be the final court showdown regarding environmental damage from the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, tomorrow (1:30 PM, Tuesday Nov. 15, 2011) the U.S. District Court in Anchorage will hear oral arguments regarding the final payment from Exxon for long-term environmental injuries from the spill. The present Court proceedings were triggered initially by my 12/7/10 amicus motion, then the…
Voices from the Flats – Earth Day
Earth Day – time to invest in sustainable future By Rick Steiner ———————- Today is Earth Day: a good time to assess the condition of our life-sustaining home planet. On this, there is both good and bad news. The bad news is that the global environment continues to deteriorate. For decades, our “ecological footprint” – the environmental impact of the global economy – has exceeded what the Earth can sustainably provide, now by over 50%, and our ecological debt is growing. Today more than a billion people are malnourished, thousands of children will die from preventable causes, and we will…
Exxon Denies Long Term Environmental Damage to Prince William Sound – A Day in Court
~Oil sheen from the Exxon Valdez spill fills a footprint on the beach 21 years later in July of 2010 Tomorrow will be a historic day. After 22 years, the final word will be had on the long-term environmental damage from the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Last summer, I traveled to Knight Island in Prince William Sound. The point of landing was “Diesel Beach.” As you can imagine, this is a post-1989 name. You can read my post Walking With the Ghost of Exxon HERE. The long-term impact on Prince William Sound has been significant. With resident orca populations expected…