The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Baron & Budd is not a newcomer to oil spills and water pollution. In fact, long –time Baron & Budd attorney Brent Rosenthal represented the National Wildlife Federation in the Exxon Valdez litigation involving the 1989 spill. For his “outstanding contribution to environmental protection and the public interest,” Brent received the 1993 Public Justice Achievement Award from Trial Lawyers for Public Justice.

The Exxon Valdez oil spill occurred in remote Prince William Sound, Alaska on March 24, 1989 when the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker bound for Long Beach, California, struck Prince William Sound’s Bilgh Reef, ran aground and spilled nearly 11 million gallons of crude oil.

Much like in the recent Gulf Coast Oil Spill, the cause of Exxon Valdez can be pointed primarily at the oil company for neglecting to properly adhere to safety regulations. Exxon failed to repair the tanker’s Raycas radar system, which would have warned the crew of an impending collision with the Bligh reef, because it was just too expensive to fix and operate. The tanker had been operating for more than a year without a functioning Raycas radar.

As a result of the Valdez spill, the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) was passed, allowing those who lost income or profits because of an oil spill to recover compensation from those responsible for the spill. The act also improved the federal government’s ability to respond quickly to spills.