The exxon valdez top 10 environmental disasters time. Administrator bill reilly at the exxon valdez oil spill cleanup site, august 1989. It was the exxon valdez oil spill, and it assumed and retained the title of nations largest spill until the. The exxon corporations reputation was bound to suffer after the exxon valdez ran aground off alaska and dumped 250,000 barrels of oil into prince william. Exxon valdez oil spill state trial transcript, 1994, 3an. Cleaning an otter fouled by the exxon valdez disaster u. It was designed to be administered, facetoface, to a national sample. Exxon valdez oil spill, massive oil spill that occurred on march 24, 1989, in prince william sound, an inlet in the gulf of alaska, alaska, u. Case study summary for the exxon valdez spill li li. While scenes from the 2010 bp oil spill may no longer linger on tv, past experience teaches that its environmental and human traumas have only just begun. With john heard, bob gunton, mark metcalf, bruce gray. Anchorage lawyer dennis mestas found that this was true for 6,722 of 11,000 worker files he was able to inspect. How the exxon valdez disaster changed americas oil spill emergency management. Environmental case study the exxon valdez oil spill, ten.
Rockefeller founded an oil corporation called standard oil in 1870. The 1989 exxon valdez disaster was the worst ever oil spill in us waters until the deepwater horizon spill in 2010. The exxon valdez ran aground in march of 1989, spilling 11 million gallons of oil into prince william sound. The exxon valdez oil spill trustee council evostc is one of the eight founding partners of the alaska. It would eventually spread almost 500 miles from the original crash site and stain thousands of. The coast of southeast alaska is a setting where a giant oil spill had the potential to bring rapid cultural change. In a flash, dramatic images shoot across the planet. Introduction with the exception of the titanic, the exxonvaldez may be the most infamous ship disaster in history. Letter concerning the effects of the exxon valdez oil spill on kodiak island, julie carlson. The exxon valdez oil spill occurred in prince william sound, alaska, march 24, 1989, when exxon valdez, an oil tanker owned by exxon shipping company, bound for long beach, california, struck prince william sounds bligh reef, 1.
Nearly three decades after the disastrous exxon valdez oil spill in 1989, the litigation for the remaining cash the state and federal governments could pursue from exxon is. What makes the exxon valdez spill so famous is the environmental impact. The start of the exxon valdez oil spill disaster in alaskas prince william sound duration. An eighteen foot wide hole was ripped into the hull, and 10. The incident happened after an exxon corporation tanker, the exxon valdez, ran aground on bligh reef during a voyage from valdez, alaska, to california. Prince william sound is a region rich in biological diversity, and the oil spill has caused ecological harm. This article explores the social dimensions of disaster and recovery.
An oil tanker from exxon which named exxon valdez happened oil spill crisis on friday, march 24, 1989. The impact is the only of the three to draw out into what might be unnecessary repetition. Exxon valdez creates oil slick disaster an oil tanker has run aground on a reef off the alaskan coast, releasing gallons of crude oil into the sea. To find the material, block the name of the document below that you want to find.
The hidden deaths due to exxon valdez counterspill. The exxon valdez cv survey instrument was developed over an 18month period from july 1989 to january 1991. At first glance, the structure of the book can be offputting. This report summarizes what has changed, and what remains unchanged in the 20 years since the exxon valdez ran aground. Citation, exxon valdez oil spill slide collection, public information files. Alan haigbrown, keeping the oil inside the ships on prince william sound, 40 professional mariner 20 1999. The exxon valdez oil spill was a manmade disaster that occurred when exxon valdez, an oil tanker owned by the exxon shipping company, spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into alaskas prince. An assessment of the impact of the exxon valdez oil spill on the. Coast guard 22 years later, bps deepwater horizon oil rig exploded, killing 11. Sea otter treatment records seward otter rescue center files. It gained widespread infamy after the march 24, 1989 oil spill in which the tanker hit prince william. The incident has both shortterm and longterm implications. The game was featured in a march 11, 1991 article in fortune magazine.
Lessons from the exxon valdez disaster the new economy. Chapter 1 the spill the exxon valdez was a supertanker, an enormous ship that can carry millions of gallons of oil. The exxon valdez was constructed in 1986 and was the largest ship ever built on the west coast of the united states. Exxon valdez was the original name of an oil tanker owned by the former exxon corporation. A pod of sea lions swim through a slick of crude oil off the shore of ingot island, alaska, on april 14, 1989, three weeks after the spill. Primary source materials related to the 1989 exxon valdez oil spill disaster. Because it is so well known, the valdez oil spill is an excellent example of a thorough root cause analysis investigation. On the night of march 24, 1989, the exxon valdez oil tanker ran aground on bligh reef in the pristine waters of alaskas prince william sound. More than half an inch of oil covered the sea when dennis kelsos boat, piled with a few newly dead birds, nudged up against the side of the exxon valdez on friday, march 24, 1989. The bp disaster as an exxon valdez rerun article pdf available in contexts 103. Robert van brocklin, who served as cordovas mayor during the exxon valdez disaster, committed suicide years after the spill. The exxon valdez, first launched in 1986, was a mammoth oil tanker that stretched 987 feet 300 meters in length. The tanker carried crude oil from alaska to oil refineries on the west coast of the united states.
Exxon valdez oil spill collection external pdf finding aid for more. Delayed efforts to contain the spill and naturally strong winds and waves. Oil spill facts exxon valdez oil spill trustee council. At that moment, exxon was ranked in the top five largest companies in america. Joseph hazelwood, chief engineer jerry glowacki and radio officer joel roberson left the exxon valdez about 11. Lieff cabraser served as one of the courtappointed plaintiffs class counsel. Exxon valdez oil spill public advisory committee federal register. After focusing briefly on the devastation to individual species of wildlife and efforts to help them recover, the book considers how the oil spill has affected communities in the area as well as the state of prince. In march of 1989, the exxon valdez oil tanker ran aground on bligh reef in prince william sound, alaska. Exxon valdez case study crisis management and strategies.
Four months after it ran aground on alaskas bligh reef, the ship was returned to. Marybeth holleman says 25 years after the exxon valdez oil spill, its toxic effects remain. Its is a rapid pace of interviews concerning the three phases of the valdez disaster of march, 1989. The bird was taken to the bird cleanup center in valdez by photographers. Exxon corporations publicity materials brochures, newsletters, and booklets on cleanup operations and environmental impacts. It addresses the issues of spill prevention and safety, response and. At the height of its success, in 1904, standard oil controlled 91% of production and 85% of final sales in the us, making john rockefeller one of the wealthiest men in the united states to date. Shortly after midnight on march 24, 1989, the valdez, transporting crude oil from alaska to california, struck bligh reef. The exxon valdez oil spill trustee council evostc is one of the eight founding partners of the alaska resources library and information services arlis and has entrusted arlis with its extensive collection of materials on the exxon valdez oil spill evos. Horizon disaster has been much higher than following other disasters like the exxon valdez spill, only a few dozen studies have been published by independent researchers in. The same environmental conditions that contribute to oil spill risks lack.
The exxon valdez oil spill occurred in prince william sound, alaska, march 24, 1989, when. Because of the cold weather and the location, it is often considered one of the worst manmade environmental disasters in world history. Interesting facts about the exxon valdez oil spill. Lynn luig exxon valdez case summary background john d. March 23, 1989 was a rest day of sorts for some members of the exxon valdez crew. The citys excellent, nearly landlocked icefree harbor was explored and named by the spaniards in 1790.
The spill has affected directly the livelihoods of many alaskans. In the wake of disaster retro report december 9, 20 in 1989, a tanker ran aground off the coast of alaska, causing one of the worst oil spills in united states history. Following up on the exxon valdez oil spill in prince william sound, alaska, this photoessay begins by describing how it happened and the environmental disaster it caused. Exxon valdez oil spill federal trial transcript, 1994, a89. In the early hours of march 24th 1989 the exxon valdez oil supertanker runs aground in alaska.
List of books and articles about exxon valdez oil spill. It has tourist and fishing industries, as well as salmon spawning grounds. The exxon valdez got into trouble in prince william sound when it hit bligh reef, splitting its side open and releasing oil, with reports of an eightmile 12. Twentyfive years after the exxon valdez oil spill noaa office of. According to reuters, he worked along with many who were in industries destroyed by the spill and he mentioned exxon in the suicide note he left behind. Twenty years after the exxon valdez oil spill the catastrophe on march 24, 1989, that released 10. The reallife struggle to contain the environmental and financial damage caused to alaska by the oil spill from the exxon valdez is dramatized. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The captain for exxon valdez on that night was joseph. The incident becomes the biggest environmental catastrophe in north american history. How the exxon valdez disaster changed americas oil spill. There is no good place to have an oil spill, but prince william sound has to be one of the. The exxon valdez oil spill trustee council evostc is one of arliss eight founding partners and has entrusted arlis with its extensive collection of materials on the exxon valdez oil spill evos. Characteristics of vulnerability to disaster in a culturally diverse and spatially dispersed population provide an organizing theme for this study.
They show thousands of carcasses of dead seabirds and sea. The central part of the survey instrument was the valuation scenario that described the damages caused by the exxon valdez oil. The exxon valdez essay prepared for the encyclopedia of the arctic by jonathan m. Letter concerning the effects of the exxon valdez oil spill on kodiak island, box as 25862, exxon valdez oil spill commission records, department of administration, alaska state archives. While the spill was a major disaster, it has provided unusual opportunities for scientific. On march 24, 1989, shortly after midnight, the oil tanker exxon valdez struck bligh reef in prince william sound, alaska, spilling more than 11 million gallons of crude oil. Exxon valdez oil spill resources alaska state archives.
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