The tanker Exxon Valdez, spilled 260,000 barrels of crude in Prince William Sound in 1989 which was the largest in U.S. waters and one of the worst environmental disasters caused by shipping. Still there is lingering oil in that region.
In 1991 Exxon was ordered to pay $900 million in civil damages and $125 million in criminal fines and restitution. In 2006, state and federal governments demanded an additional $92 million to cleanup from long-term damages. The company had refused to pay the fine maintaining that despite lingering oil, the recovery and cleanup was successful.
In the court documents filed on Wednesday, the state of Alaska and U.S. Justice Department dropped their remaining judicial action and would no longer seek additional damages. “Although we will not be pursuing Exxon for additional damages, our decision today does not close the book on lingering oil,” Alaska Attorney General Craig Richards said in a statement. The U.S. and Alaska said they will no longer seek the additional $92 million from Exxon.
Source: Justice
