Today in Labor History March 24, 1989: The Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alaska, dumping 240,000 barrels of crude oil. It was the largest oil spill in U.S. history until the Deepwater Horizon spill, in 2010. A major cause for the tanker’s collision was an overworked and under-rested crew, which the National Transportation Safety Board determined was a widespread practice. Thousands of people who participated in the cleanup efforts developed liver, kidney, lung, nervous system, and blood disorders due to 2-butoxyethanol and other agents that were used. An estimated 250,000 sea birds; 2,800 sea otters; 300 harbor seals, 247 bald eagles; 22 orcas; and unknown numbers of fish were killed by the spill. A study by the National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA found that 90 tons of oil remained on beaches in Prince William Sound in 2001. The devastation to the local fisheries caused the bankruptcy of the Chugach Alaska Corporation, an Alaska Native Corporation.

#workingclass #LaborHistory #exxon #valdez #oilspill #environment #indigenous #alaska #WorkplaceSafety #ecology

“A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money”

See how the amount donated by Americans to charity per year compares to the size of outstanding student debt. Or how Walmart’s revenue measures up against Elon Musk’s wealth. Or how the U.S. military budget stacks up against China’s… and so much more.

From the estimable David McCandless and his wonderful site Information is Beautiful, an illustration of how expenses and wealth that run to over a billion dollars compare.

“$Billions“

Then peruse “$Trillions.”

* Senator Everett Dirsen

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As we ponder the pecuniary, we might recall that on this date in 1989, Exxon Valdez, an oil supertanker owned by Exxon Shipping Company, bound for Long Beach, California, struck Prince William Sound‘s Bligh Reef, 6 mi west of Tatitlek, Alaska. The tanker spilled more than 10 million US gallons of crude oil over the next few days.

The Exxon Valdez spill is the second largest in U.S. waters, after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, in terms of volume of oil released. It is the costliest disaster ever with no direct human fatalities. The oil, extracted from the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field, eventually affected 1,300 miles of coastline, of which 200 miles were heavily or moderately oiled; and it wreaked havoc with the habitats salmon, sea otters, seals, and seabirds in its path.

Exxon spent an estimated $2 billion cleaning up the spill and a further $1 billion to settle related civil and criminal charges. Exxon was also assessed another $2.5 billion in punitive damages in a suit (Exxon v. Baker)… but that was reduced by the Supreme Court to roughly $500 million. Exxon remained hugely profitable– the process of payment was drawn out over decades and long term damage continues and is not funded by Exxon. Hence, the Exxon spill is often cited as shorthand in conversations about corporate responsibility as a case of accountability for societal damage inadequately enforced.

Black sea 2022 – By MUE BON in Rayong, Thailand

https://streetartutopia.com/2022/01/30/black-sea-2022-by-mue-bon-in-rayong-thailand-on-oil-spill-20-kilometers-off-the-coast-of-rayong-south-of-pattaya/

Pipeline That Caused Massive 2015 Santa Barbara Oil Spill Restarts Illegally https://biologicaldiversity.org/w/news/press-releases/pipeline-that-caused-massive-2015-santa-barbara-oil-spill-restarts-illegally-2026-03-16/

#SantaBarbara #environment #fossilfuel #fossilfuels #oil #OilSpill

U.S. Energy secretary directs Texas oil company to restore operations off California

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright directed a Texas-based oil and gas company Friday to restore operations in waters…
#NewsBeep #News #Headlines #California #OilandGas #OilSpill #Texas #UnitedStates #Us #USA
https://www.newsbeep.com/434883/