BP Complaints

A landmark even in Environmental Law, the Exxon Valdez oil spill resulted in drastic changes to oil regulations and new safety procedures to prevent against future oil spills. The March 1989 oil spill was one of the largest in history, resulting in over 10 million gallons of crude oil spilling into the Prime William Sound, directly impacting the entire oceanic ecosystem. The 300 meter tanker was employed to transport oil between the Alaskan Valdez pipeline for domestic US refineries, and the oil spill led to litigation which changed the shape of modern oil production.

As a result of the oil spill, over 30,000 plaintiffs were awarded punitive damages which were reduced by the Supreme Court, and the settlement finally cleared in 2008 after a decade of appeals. The lasting environmental impact left over 25,000 gallons of oil in the Alaskan Gulf, creating a challenge for modern day environmental cleanups. While the companies worked to minimize the damage with dispersants and solvents, the lasting impacts continued to be felt throughout the Prince William Sound. Environmentalists estimate that hundreds of thousands of sea-borne animals were negatively impacted, while salmon populations in the region continue to suffer from defects resulting from the oil spill.

The class action lawsuit Baker v. Exxon started in an Anchorage district court and went all the way to the Supreme Court before a final settlement was reached. In addition to punitive damages, Exxon settled with local industry and environmental groups to alleviate the impact of the oil spill. Lasting regulatory shifts included the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 that limited the precautions oil companies must take in the export trade. New ship designs were required to minimize the potential impact of the spills, while the National Transportation Safety Board implemented stricter controls over those involved in maritime navigation.

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The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is becoming more and more of an environmental concern as time passes by. It all started with an oil rig explosion last April 20, 2010 which eventually led the oil tank to sink two days later about 40 miles off the Mississippi River delta.

Alternatively, one other solution to contain the oil spill is to create a dome-like device to cover oil rising to the surface and pump it to container vessels. However, BP said that this particular solution will take about two weeks to put in place.

Several oceanographers have claimed that the magnitude of the oil spill was huge and that it will definitely have an impact on marine life. They also claimed that the oil spill also threatened oyster beds in Breton Sound on the eastern side of the Mississippi River as winds and currents in the Gulf moved the oil spill steadily toward the mouth of the Mississippi River.

“They have to repair the problem. I’m not sure if anything else is going to matter until they do,” said Kelly O’Keefe, managing director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter. “And they should apologize.”

Landry said more than 5,000 barrels a day of sweet crude are discharging into the gulf, not the 1,000 barrels officials had estimated for days since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and sank 50 miles off the Louisiana Coast. The new oil spill estimate came from the federal National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

The Exxon Valdez oil spill caused a lot of environmental damage as a lot of birds, fish and otter were killed due to the oil spill and some groups say that the official volume of 10.9 million gallons is actually lesser than what actually leaked. They say this because the vessel was carrying a total of 54.1 million gallons of Prudhoe Bay Crude oil and the area where it struck the reef was a very remote area implying that almost all the oil leaked before counter measures could be taken.

“They have to repair the problem. I’m not sure if anything else is going to matter until they do,” said Kelly O’Keefe, managing director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Brandcenter. “And they should apologize.”

Landry said more than 5,000 barrels a day of sweet crude are discharging into the gulf, not the 1,000 barrels officials had estimated for days since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and sank 50 miles off the Louisiana Coast. The new oil spill estimate came from the federal National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.