Exxon Valdez spill shaped history 36 years ago. What have we learned?

Monday marks the anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the largest ever spill in U.S. history at the time. 

The nearly 1,000-foot namesake tanker carrying tens of millions of gallons of oil slammed into a reef off the coast of Alaska just after midnight on March 24, 1989 and unleashed a catastrophe never before seen in America.

Nearly 11 million gallons of oil spewed into the picturesque Prince William Sound and in the coming days photos of birds and other wildlife drenched in thick oil, struggling to survive, shocked the nation.

Here’s what to know about the disaster that inspired federal reforms, sparked debates over the risks of oil exploration and became a rallying cry for conservationists across the nation.

What caused the spill?

Exxon Valdez, a 987-foot tanker loaded with 53 million gallons of crude oil, slammed into Alaska’s Bligh Reef just after midnight on March 24, 1989. The accident, as noted by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, came after the ship diverted from established shipping lanes in order to avoid icebergs.

About 11 million gallons – about the volume of 125 Olympic-size swimming pools – flowed into the Prince William Sound, a pristine haven of wildlife and scenery.

A National Transportation Safety Board investigation found several probable causes for the accident, the council said. They included improper maneuvering of the vessel by the third mate, possibly due to fatigue and heavy workload; the ship master’s improper navigation, possibly due to alcohol impairment; inadequate supervision; and a lack of effective ship escort.

A jury in Alaska found Joe Hazelwood, captain of the Valdez, not guilty of operating a vessel under the influence but guilty of negligent oil discharge.

The tanker had been on its way to Long Beach, California. It departed the Alyeska Pipeline to cross Prince William Sound at around 9 p.m. on March 23, according to a history of the spill by Oceana, an ocean advocacy group established by the Pew Charitable Trusts and other foundations.

How did the Valdez spill harm wildlife and the environment?

In the days that followed the accident, storms and currents spread the toxic muck throughout 1,300 miles of shoreline, claiming the lives of thousands of birds, fish, otters and other wildlife.

Tourism and fishing livelihoods fell apart overnight with tarnished coastlines and obliterated runs of wild salmon and herring that took decades to recover.

Marilyn Heiman, who at the time worked for the Alaska State Legislature, told Paste BN in 2014 that the spill was responsible for the deaths of 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 harbor seals, 250 bald eagles and billions of salmon and herring eggs.

The spill negatively impacted wildlife populations for years.

What was the economic fallout?

The spill had a catastrophic effect on the economy of the area as well.

It caused over $300 million in economic damage to the 32,000 people whose livelihoods depended on commercial fishing in the region, according to Oceana.

Tourists also became wary of visiting. In the year after the spill, tourism spending fell 8% in south central Alaska and by 35% in the southwest part of the state.

Two years after the spill, economic losses to recreational fishing were estimated to be $31 million, Oceana said.

What did it take to clean up the spill?

A U.S. Coast Guard report found that none of the players involved - from Exxon to the federal government - were prepared for a disaster of that magnitude. 

The lack of planning created confusion and delayed cleanup, according to the report.

In total, some 10,000 workers, 1,000 boats and 100 airplanes and helicopters deployed to the site to clean up the spill, according to Oceana. Four deaths were tied to cleanup efforts.

In 1994, a federal jury in Anchorage, Alaska, ordered Exxon Corp. to pay $5 billion in punitive damages for the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, but the U.S Supreme Court later reduced that amount to $507.5 million. 

What changed as a result?

The accident pushed Congress to pass the 1990 Oil Pollution Act, which aimed to put stronger measures in place to prevent spills and accelerate the nation’s response to those that occurred. Tankers were required to have double hulls, for example.

According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, other impacts of the law are: it provides a legal framework to hold those behind a spill financially liable; and improves how federal agencies prepare for and respond to oil spills in the U.S.

The framework provided by the Act proved vital in the response to other spills, according to the fisheries service, including the biggest one yet that happened in the Gulf of Mexico decades later.

Was the spill the worst ever in the US?

The accident would remain the nation’s worst oil spill until an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in 2010 killed 11 people and dumped 210 million gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico, scattering oil slicks across an area of 57,000 square miles.

Recent findings revealed the spill reached as far as the Texas shore, the Florida Keys and even along the east coast of Florida into the Gulf Stream.

It was also toxic enough to kill about half of the marine life in its path.

Cleanup of the disaster is still decades away from being finished, according to the National Marine Fisheries Service.