FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 25, 2008 Contact: Kristina Johnson415.977-5619 Supreme Court Delivers Slap on the Hand to ExxonDecision is a Reminder of the Risk Oil Poses to our Coasts Washington, D.C. - Today the Supreme Court slashed the amount ofpunitive damages owed by Exxon for its infamous 1989 oilspill--from $2.5 billion to just $507.5 million.  The ExxonValdez oil spill was one of the worst environmental disasters inhistory, dumping roughly 11 million gallons of oil into Prince WilliamSound, killing roughly 500,000 sea birds, 5,000 sea otters, two dozenorca whales, and millions of salmon and herring eggs and destroyingthe livelihoods of fishermen and Alaska natives. Statement of Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope Our highest court is letting Exxon off the hook for reckless behaviorthat led to one of the worst environmental disasters in Americanhistory. These paltry damages are a drop in the bucket for Exxon, a companythat made more than $40 billion last year alone. This is a slap on thehand that provides little incentive for oil companies to beef upsafety standards and avoid future spills. Sadly, the environmental impacts of the disaster persist today, andscientists say we'll still see shoreline damage from the spillthirty years from now. The real damage done to our coasts, and to thehardworking fishermen and Alaska natives whose lives were destroyed asa result of the spill, can never be repaired. But the Supreme Courthas decided not to hold the company fully accountable for itscarelessness. This should be a reminder of the threat oil poses to our oceans andcoasts. There is no effective method for cleaning up an oil spill, andwhere there are tankers and drilling there will always be spills.Instead of risking more oil spills like the Exxon Valdez disaster, weshould start embracing clean energy solutions that don'tjeopardize our beaches and communities. ###
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