Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: 20 Years Later

CBS Evening News: Examining How One Alaska Community Is Coping With Disaster’s Lingering Economic Consequences

(CBS)  John Platt - a fisherman from Cordova, Alaska - made a pretty penny in the good old days. That was back in the 80's when an Alaskan fisherman could work hard and make a good living.

That was then. This is now. "My current financial situation is terrible," Platt says, "It's terrible."

He still earns his living fishing. But today Platt is deep in dept. He's waiting on a check he will never cash.

"My net worth is negative right now," he says. "Negative."

Platt is one of the 32,000 original plaintiffs in a lawsuit against corporate giant Exxon Mobil following the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, reports CBS News chief national correspondent Byron Pitts.

Eleven million gallons of oil spilled along 1,300 miles of Alaskan coastline. The fishing industry was devastated. It was the worse disaster of its kind in U.S. history.

Back in 1989, Exxon executives, including Don Cornett, promised to take care of everyone affected by the spill.

“You have my word we will make you whole again," he said at the time.

In 1989, fishermen like Platt were hired to help clean up the spill. He made nearly $600,000 that year.

In total, Exxon spent more than $3.8 billion in clean up costs, fines and compensation. But in 1994, an Anchorage jury found Exxon acted recklessly and awarded victims of the spill $5 billion in punitive damages. An appeals court later cut that award in half.

But after nearly 15 years in appeals, the case finally reached the U.S. Supreme Court last year. The justices reduced that $2.5 billion in punitive damages to just more than $507 million.

Platt's share of the settlement is expected to be close to $400,000. But he still owes the state of Alaska $600,000 for his commercial fishing licenses. So his check will go straight to the state. But here's the kicker: he has to pay the taxes on it.

"A lot of people aren't going to make it," warns Platt.

At least 6,000 of the original plaintiffs have died, and 8,000 plaintiffs have liens on their settlements - ranging from child support to back taxes.

“I think that's been Exxon's strategy every step of the way - to wear everybody down,” says Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska. "They've succeeded in fatiguing those who were entitled to this compensation."

Osa Schultz and her husband got their checks last month of more than $50,000. They are still in debt.

"We always expected that the settlement would make a big difference and bring us back," she says. "It didn't even come close."

Shultz testified before Congress last year about the corrupting influences she says big business has on the political and legal system.

Shultz warned officials that, “Exxon's vast power and influence has tipped the scales of justice. For nearly a generation our community has been the David to their Goliath.”

For its part, Exxon Mobil declined a CBS News request for an interview, instead issuing this statement saying in part, "The Exxon Valdez oil spill was a tragic accident and one which the company deeply regrets."

Nearly 20 years later the legal battles are not over. Both sides are awaiting an appeals court decision to see if Exxon Mobil has to pay interest on the $507 million award. That decision could come as soon as this month.

[squeegeeman]

Oil Spills will be cleaned-up better & more throughly when the Oil Company's & Goverment start using products that have been on the market many years which are<a
href=http://thesqueegeeman.com/squeegeeman_016.htm> Environment Friendly </a>and can do a better job of soaking up the spilled oil they will also hold on to the Absorbed oil and not let it leach back out to kill our birds and other wildlife & ruin the environment

[mmsavage1]

Are these the Actions of Our US Lady Justice?
http://www.silenceinthesound.com/valdez-oil-spill-workers-vs-exxon.shtml

The real story: In 1989, while media and public attention focused on the thousands of oil-coated dead seabirds, otters, and other wildlife, little attention was given to the harm done to the cleanup workers. As workers blasted oiled beaches, with hot seawater from high pressure hoses, they were engulfed in toxic fumes containing aerosolized crude oil%u2014benzene and other volatile compounds, oil mist, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
The cleanup workers from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill are suffering from long-term health problems resulting from toxic chemical exposures. A significant number of the workers have died. Some of the illnesses include neurological impairment, chronic respiratory disease, leukemia, lymphoma, brain tumors, liver damage, and blood diseases.
Silence in the Sound by Merle Savage.
Sound Truth & Corporate Myth$ and Not One Drop, by Dr. Riki Ott. Dr. Ott has investigated, and studied the oil spill spraying, and quotes numerous reports in her books, on the toxic chemicals that were used during the 1989 Prince William Sound oily beach cleanup.

The Black Wave, tells the story about Dr. Ott''s investigations and the interviews of sick workers suffering from the toxic chemicals used during the cleanup. The film is available for preview.

[cameraphone]

SHAME ON EXXONMOBIL!

20 years and they haven''t settled? And they made a RECORD $45 Billion in PROFIT this year?

SHAME ON EXXONMOBIL!

[vaughn151940]

Noting that Platt made $600,000 in 1989 helping with the cleanup I''m not feeling overly sorry for him as he could have invested that in a savings account and made an additional goodly sum by now. I realize he had to live also but just my thoughts on that sum of money....at today''s prices the 600 thou would be over a million.

[dynamited777]

Can Gov Palin remember one other supreme court case other than Roe vs Wade? What a doll, a doll you can believe in.

[niceface19]

The supreme might have taken millions of dollars in return for letting these criminals go.

[niceface19]

The supreme court is as guilty as the drunken captain.
These people are human''s enemy.

[niceface19]

It is completely disgusting the way the supreme court let these *** off the hook. One of the biggest dissasters ever and they got off in the end..

They should re-open this lawsuit and force them to pay what they do owe...


Posted by ddaryl1

The supreme court is as guilty as the drunken captain. they deserve to eat my shi.t juices.

[luvny-2009]

What a crock, these people have and are losing everything, then it goes to the supreme court and they reduce it down to almost nothing for these people. Exxon knew they would, all Bush appointees! The repukes want everything to go to the supreme court so they can what what they want.

[niceface19]

I never understood why liberals made such a fuss about this. I mean afterall it was jusr a little oil.

Posted by mrs_bun

Go get your family to dig their heads in to the oil spills then tell me if it''s good, stupid head.

[ddaryl1]

It is completely disgusting the way the supreme court let these *** off the hook. One of the biggest dissasters ever and they got off in the end..

They should re-open this lawsuit and force them to pay what they do owe...

[ici2i]

I never understood why liberals made such a fuss about this. I mean afterall it was jusr a little oil.

Posted by mrs_bun

You can''t be that stupid....just looking for a little fun this morning to stir things up aren''t you? Nice try juvenile!

[rgbayless]

We have the product that, for the cost of the lobbyist, could have CLEANED UP the spill in 1-2 months and everyone would have been happy and healthy and prosperous. But Exxon chose to ignor us.

[ici2i]

These Kooks like jBrown think they have all the entitlement in the world to spew now that B.O''''s in office. The next 4 years of Obamination are goin to be mighty scary indeed.

Posted by kooooks

Here is a person who presumably read the article and has followed the story of the Exxon scandal. Yet, in spite of all this, he/she is still able to be critical of those who are disgusted with the corruption of our democracy. "Entitlement", it''s amazing you actually used that word in this discussion. You are a totally out of touch, moron with as much compassion for fellow humans and the environment as a cockroach devouring it''s young - aka decaying republican.

[bear-2009]

Exxon Mobil sopported the Iraq war for oil, and Cheney rewarded Exxon Mobil (and Shell, BP, Chevron) with nice big contracts...

Exxon Mobil the most evil of corporations could care less about human and environmental life - see, Nigeria

[usclimey]

I wonder how much money Exxon spent on Lobbyists in the past 20 years ??

Posted by dthomas5010

Add that to the amount they''ve spent on lawyers, they probably could have paid off the original judgement.

The judge who cut the settlement amount is a coward and a **** poor advocate of the laws for the people by the people.This judge should be hung with his robe from the second story window of the courthouse.what a pispoor excuse for a human.

Posted by usanative1

The guilty party was a 5-3 decision from the USSC. Alito was recused for owning Exxon stock, otherwise it would have been 6-3.

[kooooks]

These Kooks like jBrown think they have all the entitlement in the world to spew now that B.O''s in office. The next 4 years of Obamination are goin to be mighty scary indeed.

[rickwar]

And who was president at the time??

Another Republican oil man from Texas, George Bush the first.

As it was allowed to run through the courts it ended under the watch of another Republican silver spooned president. George Bush the second.

And the battle cry of the Republicans in the last campaign? "DRILL BABY DRILL!"

The majority of them along with Rush and Hannity? Scum, just like the oil that can still be found from Exxon''s botched cleanup efforts.

[goosfraba2]

In conversations with my Republican friends, they cannot understand my contempt for Corporate-America and the Americans who support them. This story is just one prime example as to why I hate Corporate-America. I strongly believe in the capitalistic system but UNBRIDLED CAPITALISM is as bad if not worse than any socialistic movement.

No one begrudges others to make a good living. But when businesses perform at the exclusion of morals and good ethics in their business plans, then the citizenry and our government should take them down.

As an American, I feel powerless to correct the bad deeds of Corporate-America. I don''t have the $$$ and resources to purchase influence with members of the House and Senate not to exclude the judges of the various courts.

I live in the South (Georgia) but I suffer in support of the Alaskan fishermen and all my fellow citizens of our country where Corporate-America bullies us. The coal sludge poisoning in the Tennessee rivers and valleys is another recent, prime example. What can we do? Conduct another Boston Tea Party?

I wish I had the $$$ to PURCHASE Senators, House Representatives, judges, and the necessary lawyers so that they would serve the American citizenry instead of fattening the wallets of the few. I would spend that money not for my gain but, to provide justice for all.

[crabwriter]

I was there back then on a boat named Lady Alaska. All I can do is shake my head in dismay. I do know that some jerk in NEW YORK is ordering salmon from Alaska and ******** about the price. Exxon spelled backwards is lawyers. May you burn in hell.