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The Exxon Valdez spill and the long path to restoration

The Exxon Valdez spilled about 11 million gallons of crude oil in Alaska in March 1989. A $900 million civil settlement funded restoration over the following years. A separate proposal to recover additional costs for lingering oil was withdrawn in 2015.

Sources checked

Disaster Register Editorial Team

Oil spill recoveryFrom the Alaska spill to the decision on additional damages
  1. 24 March 1989
    Grounding and spill

    The tanker grounds on Bligh Reef. NOAA puts the spill at about 11 million gallons of crude oil. Source 1

  2. 18 August 1990
    Federal oil pollution law

    The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 becomes law. Source 2

  3. October 1991
    Settlement approved

    The agreements include a civil settlement of $900 million, criminal restitution of $100 million and $25 million remaining on the fine. Source 3

  4. November 1994
    Restoration plan

    The Trustee Council adopts a plan for the use of civil settlement funds. Source 4

  5. September 2001
    Last civil settlement payment

    The Trustee Council records receipt of the final scheduled payment. Source 3

  6. 1 June 2006
    Lingering-oil project proposed

    The federal and Alaska governments put forward a project estimated at $92 million under the reopener provision. Source 5

Show 1 more dates
  1. 15 October 2015
    Additional damages request withdrawn

    The governments announce that they will close the judicial actions and withdraw the 2006 request. Source 6

Choose a milestone to jump to its official record.

Source 1 Source 2 Source 3 Source 4 Source 5 Source 6 Source 7

The shoreline estimates come from separate agency accounts

NOAA reports that more than 1,300 miles of shoreline were affected. The Justice Department’s 2015 account puts the contaminated coastline at about 1,500 miles. Both accounts describe extensive impacts on coastal habitat and local livelihoods. Their published shoreline figures should be read as separate estimates. Source 1 Source 6

The settlement combined three payments

The Trustee Council records a $150 million criminal fine, of which the court forgave $125 million. Criminal restitution of $100 million was separate. The $900 million civil agreement used annual payments over ten years, with the final payment in September 2001. Source 3

The additional project was a proposal

The civil agreement created a window to seek up to $100 million for qualifying injuries. The governments proposed a $92 million project in 2006. In 2015 they withdrew the request after reviewing the recovery of sea otters and harlequin ducks and their exposure to lingering subsurface oil. Source 3 Source 5 Source 6

Recovery assessments apply to specific resources

The Trustee Council describes recovery in relation to the injuries from the spill. Its restoration reports distinguish individual resources and human services and describe the evidence available for each. The end of a court action and the recovery of a species answer separate questions. Source 4 Source 7 Source 6

Sources

Open the data and source notes