Exxon Valdez
Infamous oil spill
The Exxon Valdez was an oil tanker that ran aground in Alaska's Prince William Sound in 1989, spilling eleven million gallons of crude oil.
The disaster became a reference point for environmental catastrophe and corporate negligence: The company's response was an Exxon Valdez of public relations failures.
The name now serves as shorthand for preventable industrial disasters with lasting ecological consequences.
Enormous petroleum cargo ship
- crude oilUnrefined fossil fuel
- groundingConnecting to earth
- hull breachOuter shell compromised
- cargo spillFreight accidentally released
human error · alcohol · third mate · radar · Coast Guard
Groups living by harvesting waters
- CordovaSpanish provincial capital
- subsistence fishingFishing to feed oneself
- commercial fisheriesIndustry catching sea life for sale
- economic devastationSevere harm to an economy
Award beyond actual losses
- class actionLawsuit filed for many
- Supreme CourtNation's top tribunal
- settlementsEstablished communities or agreements
- finesMonetary sanctions or particles
appeals · corporate liability · negligence · civil suits · criminal charges · restitution · twenty years
Aquatic weasel relatives
- bald eaglesLarge fish-hunting American raptors
- harbor sealsSpotted coastal marine mammals
- orca podsKiller whale family groups
- salmonPink-fleshed migratory fish
herring · seabirds · murres · cormorants · shellfish · carcasses · population decline · rehabilitation centers
Floating spill barriers
- skimmersTools removing surface matter
- dispersantsSubstances promoting particle separation
- bioremediationLiving organisms detoxify pollutants
- absorbentsMaterials that take in liquids
volunteers · wildlife rescue · pressure washing · beach cleanup · containment · recovery operations · manual labor · slow response
Shore covered and uncovered daily
- kelp bedsDense underwater algae growth
- fish hatcheriesFacilities breeding aquatic animals
- spawning groundsWhere fish reproduce
- bioaccumulationPollutant concentration in tissues
food web · habitat destruction · water quality · benthic communities
Maximum insurer payout amounts
- public outrageCollective societal anger
- media coverageReporting by news outlets
- environmental movementAdvocacy for nature protection
- corporate accountabilityFirms' obligation for conduct
supertanker
Enormous petroleum cargo ship
- crude oilUnrefined fossil fuel
- groundingConnecting to earth
- hull breachOuter shell compromised
cargo spill · human error · alcohol · third mate · radar · Coast Guard
fishing communities
Groups living by harvesting waters
- CordovaSpanish provincial capital
- subsistence fishingFishing to feed oneself
- commercial fisheriesIndustry catching sea life for sale
punitive damages
Award beyond actual losses
- class actionLawsuit filed for many
- Supreme CourtNation's top tribunal
- settlementsEstablished communities or agreements
fines · appeals · corporate liability · negligence · civil suits · criminal charges · restitution · twenty years
sea otters
Aquatic weasel relatives
- bald eaglesLarge fish-hunting American raptors
- harbor sealsSpotted coastal marine mammals
- orca podsKiller whale family groups
salmon · herring · seabirds · murres · cormorants · shellfish · carcasses · population decline · rehabilitation centers · necropsy
oil booms
Floating spill barriers
- skimmersTools removing surface matter
- dispersantsSubstances promoting particle separation
- bioremediationLiving organisms detoxify pollutants
absorbents · volunteers · wildlife rescue · pressure washing · beach cleanup · containment · recovery operations · manual labor · slow response
intertidal zone
Shore covered and uncovered daily
- kelp bedsDense underwater algae growth
- fish hatcheriesFacilities breeding aquatic animals
- spawning groundsWhere fish reproduce
bioaccumulation · food web · habitat destruction · water quality · benthic communities
liability limits
Maximum insurer payout amounts
- public outrageCollective societal anger
- media coverageReporting by news outlets
- environmental movementAdvocacy for nature protection
corporate accountability · regulatory reform · documentaries · cautionary tale
- AlaskaFairbanks, Juneau, Denali, Sitka, Kodiak
- oil spillsoil spill, oil spills, oil slick, tar balls, oil boom
- conservationconservation, wildlife, endangered, habitat, sanctuary
- disastersdisaster, earthquake, earthquakes, catastrophe, floods
- shipwrecksshipwreck, shipwrecks, sunken ships, capsized, derelict
- oil industrypetroleum, oil fields, oil well, oil rig, oil production
Exxon ValdezEarth Day
Environmental awareness holiday
clean energy · wildlife sanctuary · Rachel Carson · Greenpeace · ecosystem restoration
Exxon ValdezPatagonia
South America's southern tip
corporate responsibility · safety culture · environmental stewardship · Ben & Jerry's · corporate accountability