Exxon Valdez oil spill
The full extent of the BP Gulf oil spill is still unfolding before our eyes
On April 20, 2010, BP’s Deepwater Horizon well exploded, killing eleven workers and gushing over 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Now, BP says it’s ending the “active cleanup.” But the US Coast Guard and conservation groups say the job is not yet done.On April 20, 2010, BP’s Deepwater Horizon well exploded, killing eleven workers and gushing over 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Now, BP says it’s ending the “active cleanup.” But the US Coast Guard and conservation groups say the job is not yet done.
North Slope Slide
As oil companies push to expand their frontiers in the Alaskan arctic, Living On Earth’s Terry FitzPatrick travels to the region to examine the environmental impact of North Slope oil production. He reports on recent convictions for illegal dumping of toxic waste, admissions of skewed environmental studies, and promises by the industry that they’ve entered […]
The Living on Earth Almanac
This week, an update on where the Exxon Valdez and the captain who ran it aground–Joseph Hazelwood–are today. The ship was salvaged and renamed, and now carries oil from the Middle East to Europe. Capt. Hazelwood was acquitted on charges of being intoxicated on duty, but was convicted of a misdemeanor. This summer, he begins […]
Hard Aground
On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. It spilled 11 million gallons of oil, the largest spill ever in the U.S. To millions of Americans, Exxon’s cleanup attempts seemed bungled, and its actions before the spill seemed reckless. The event became one of the most infamous […]