The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Its Effects, And Policy Changes Made By The Government

Spills are one of the most disastrous pollution sources. It harms marine life, plants, and animals as well as causes destruction of waterways. Many water bodies along the coastline are prone to such spills due to the carelessness of humans. Seaborne oil trade has grown tremendously since 1970 which is why such accidents are becoming more and more frequent. ​ Oil as a product is very necessary and it is important that oil companies are careful while transporting it. Increasing oil spills are making people lose faith in the oil companies as it is very costly to clean an oil spill and causes huge government expenditures. The Exxon Valdez oil spill was a man-made disaster that occurred when the Exxon Valdez ​, an oil tanker owned by the Exxon Shipping Company had spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989. It was the largest oil spill in U. S. waters in its history. Initially, the attempts to contain the oil failed due to delay because of thunderstorms, and in the months that followed, the oil slick spread, eventually covering about 1,300 miles of coastline killing hundreds of thousands of seabirds, otters, seals, whales, and other aquatic life. Even now, 30 years later, the pockets of crude oil remain in some locations. This report aims to study the effects of the oil spill on the environment and the following policy changes made by the government as a consequence of this disaster. Also, the report tends to suggest some improvements that should be made to prevent such disasters in the future. The source of data collection is the online articles, books and research papers. The report focuses mainly on the social, cultural and psychological impacts of the Exxon Valdez oil spill that has affected the aquatic life on a large scale, killing more than half a million birds.

Literature review

“The Exxon Valdez departed the Alyeska Pipeline Terminal in Valdez, Alaska on Thursday evening, March 23, 1989. Built-in 1986, the flagship tanker was loaded with just under 1. 3 million barrels (roughly 54 million gallons) of North Slope crude oil and was bound for Long Beach, California. ” ​ On March 24, 1989, it ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound and spilled 9 million gallons of oil over the next few days into Alaska's Prince William Sound. It ruptured eight of eleven cargo and two ballast water tanks. This was one of the most dangerous spills in the history of the US. In 1989, about 780 km of the nearly 4800 km of PWS shoreline was impacted to varying degrees by the spill, but by 1991 the sediment and little fluid material remained The main cause of the spill was that the driver, Captain Joseph Hazelwood had been drinking at that time. So, he passed the job of steering the massive ship to his third mate who did not have a license. As a result of this, the other person could not navigate well which in turn led to the collision with the reef. In response to the event, the Captain was fined $50,000 and 1000 hours of community service and a number of review boards, commissions and watchdog agencies were assigned to study the causes and consequences of North America's largest oil spill. The Alaska Oil Spill Commission grew from the concerns of the Alaska legislature. Meeting in Juneau when the accident occurred, the legislature moved quickly with a series of bills to improve the state's preparedness and response to catastrophic oil spills. It also created an independent commission to review the issues raised by the Exxon Valdez spill and to find ways to resolve them. ​ Many efforts and plans were made to clean up the oil with mostly inconclusive and unsatisfactory results. It was thought that the burning would yield promising results. Around fifteen thousand gallons (57,000 liters) of the spilled crude oil was collected and ignited, burning for around 75 minutes. The original volume of oil was reduced to a much smaller (around 10 m2) mat of burn residue. With these encouraging results, plans were made to apply the technique to the leading edge of the slick, and on the evening of March 26, Exxon received clearance to do so. ​ But to their surprise the next day the place witnessed storms which ruined their whole plan. Instead of reducing the volume of oil, the oil had spread even more. The oil had mixed with water and could not be ignited. Henceforth, Exxon declared that burning was no longer a viable option. Even after 30 years, crude oil couldn’t be removed completely from the locations. Analysis and impacts of the spill “Our civilization had no notion of our ability to destroy and our inability to fix it. ” — Charles Wohlforth

The consequences of this spill were detrimental and continue to affect life today. The oil spill killed thousands of wildlife, extensively damaged a portion of the beautiful Alaskan environment, and eventually affected the economy to global proportions.

Impact on water quality

Many water quality programs were carried out to check the changes in water quality post-spill. This was done by measuring hydrocarbon concentrations in the Prince William Sound.

Impact on business and tourism industry

The Exxon Valdez Oil spill had severe impacts on the business and tourism industry. It was seen that there was a labor shortage since these labors were getting higher wages for cleaning the oil spills. This had a huge impact on businesses, construction sites, etc. Tourism was highly affected as a result of this. Tourist spots like Valdez, Homer, Cordova, and Kodiak saw a decline in the number of visitors since these places had lost their scenic beauty as a consequence of the disaster. Related research shows Alaska's image among the general population has suffered some damage. The Alaska Visitors Association research shows 6% of the general population still mentions the oil spill as their initial impression of Alaska.

Impact on fisheries

Due to the spill, the commercial fish species were injured. As a result of this, the commercial fishing was highly affected. Fisheries for salmon, herring, crab, shrimp, rockfish, and sablefish were closed in 1989 throughout Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet, the outer Kenai coast, Kodiak and the Alaska Peninsula due to oiling​.

Pacific herring

Millions of pacific herring enter Prince William Sound in the month of April to spawn on a yearly basis. This time period of spawning determines the fishing season which was about $12 million in 1988. ​ The spill caused a lot of damage to the herring population. Since the last 20 years, the population is not able to rebound. Although the reasons for this are not clear, but scientists think that continued disease impacts may be limiting their recovery.

Pink Salmon

The researches show that the incubation mortality of pink salmon was increased due to oil and due to prolonged exposure they are now experiencing less growth, higher long-term mortality and reduced reproductive success. ​ This shows that the marine life in the Prince William Sound is endangered. If recovery methods aren’t improved, we may end up losing these species. This accident due to the carelessness of the Captain had huge repercussions on the fisheries. It is wrong on the human’s part to call this situation as their fate and not do anything about it.

Social, cultural and psychological impacts

Post the spill, a ​ ​'dose-response' relationship was seen between the exposure to the oil spill and the cleanup efforts that were put in. There was an increase in the number of people involved with drugs, drinking, and violence. The social relations with family members and acquaintances were breaking apart. There was a significant decline in production and distribution activities amongst people. The health of people was declining due to the enormous climate change as a result of the spill. Post spill, the rates of anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress observed a huge increase in number.

Impact on wildlife

It is known that around one million birds lived in the area before the spill of which around three lakh died. ​ ​A good number of these mortalities were caused as a result of the spill. For instance, a study on the harlequin duck has indicated the unexpected duration of exposure to lingering oil in the nearby shore, as well as the following effects on its population.

Policy changes

As a consequence of the spill, many policy changes were made which were divided into the categories of prevention and response actions.

• Visual displays of position, nearby vessels, obstructions, depth of water, and movement should be maintained on the bridge. Owners should maintain quality and inspection standards with stronger Coast Guard supervision. ​
• Double-hulled tankers were made necessary after the spill.
• It was suggested that yearly drills would be now held for preventing spill disasters.
• The Oil Pollution Act was introduced in 1990 which increased penalties for damages caused by the oil spills and broadened enforcement of authority.

Recommendations

• One of the reasons for the spill was excessive workload and fatigue on the third mate. So, a proper resting period should be provided for the safe operation of the vessel.
• Crew members should be enough in cases of emergency.
• A proper background check should be done for the crew members and they should be properly trained for situations like alcohol and drug dependency so as to prevent disasters like this in the future.
• The response team should be responsible and efficient in taking immediate action in situations like these.

An emergency team should have been sent at the location but unfortunately, the response team of Exxon was about six hours late. It shows the carelessness of the Exxon team. The situation was taken very lightly which is where they had gone wrong. Conclusion The above-mentioned disaster was a result of the carelessness and irresponsible behaviour of the crew. It could have been easily prevented if response action was taken timely. Their equipment was also not up to the mark. For instance, if they had tankers, less oil would have been spilled. This not only destroyed the seawaters (Prince William Sound) but also had a huge impact on marine life, people and the biodiversity in totality. The drunken state of the captain, huge workload on the third mate and the inefficiency of the crew led to the mishap which changed the climate for years to come. Even after thirty years, the oil still remains in the sea and keeps affecting the life in the area. It is important for us humans to realize that the disaster not only affected us but also the entire biodiversity in the area. Respecting the existence of other creatures is important for peaceful coexistence and being responsible towards nature should be our topmost priority.