The grounding of the Exxon Valdez prompted both the state and federal
governments to significantly alter the laws, regulations and strategies
relating to oil pollution. At the state level, between April 1989 and May 1990
the Alaska Legislature passed a dozen new laws dealing with prevention,
response and oversight. Among the most significant laws was a law boosting the
state's emergency oil and hazardous substance response fund to $50 million --
50 times what the fund had contained at the time of the spill. The Legislature
also mandated a complete rewrite of the state's oil spill prevention, response,
and contingency planning regulations, and increased both liability and
penalties for polluters. The fund has since become the states primary source
for spill response planning and development, including funding for a new
special division of the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)
dedicated solely to oil and hazardous substance spill issues.
The changes at the federal level were rolled together in the Oil Pollution Act
(OPA) of 1990, which became law less than 18 months after the initial grounding
of the Exxon tanker. This was especially significant, since the legislation
that became the foundation of the OPA '90 had been languishing in various
Congressional committees for nearly 15 years. Like the states measures, the
federal act raised liability limits, mandated new prevention measures, and set
up a new federal response fund.
The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council keeps up to date records and
research results on species and resources injured by the spill. This link takes
you to that content:
EVOS Injured Resource Information
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