Environmental Consequences Issue of Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Some fishermen chartered their boats to Exxon to abet in the cleanup, at charges that reached as high as $5,000 per mean solar day (Satchell and Carpenter, 1989, p. 63). The state prohibited fishing in beneficially leash of Prince William Sound shortly following the accident. There was no indicate that fish in that knowledge base were tainted, still the regimen fe ard the repercussion from consumers if fish picked up oil as they were hauled to the surface. Local residents were hired by Exxon to help in the cleanup at $16.69 per hour. That enlist similarly attracted a prodigious number of workers from outside the area and in fact, from outside the state. The number of permanent jobs did not addition, but there was a short-term increase in the bar of money available in Valdez and the surrounding areas as a result of the spill. In addition to those who made money works for Exxon directly, there was also a service industry which substantial to serve those workers. Even Valdez Hospital, a 15-bed facility, participated in the cleanup exertion by treating workers. By September, the hospital faced "the biggest accounts receivable in its history" and found Exxon "seemingly unwilling to pay $250,000 in medical bills" (Taravella, 1989, p. 4).

The long-term economic effects of the spill are more difficult to gauge. Exxon announced in August 1989 that it would give over $1 billion to clean up the spilled oil. That go in exceeds the comp

Nash, Nathaniel. (1989, May 19). Consumer prices jump 0.7%, with flatulence as the culprit. New York Times, p. A1.

Sea birds and otters suffered the most immediate ill-use: 33,000 birds and 1,000 otters were either found dead or died in rehabilitation centers (Stachell and Carpenter, 1989, p. 62). Some on-site biologists suggest that once the oil congealed, it was " relatively nontoxic" (p. 62). The tarlike unsightly deposits will remain for an estimated collar to sestet years, but are not considered hazardous to wildlife.

The spill was followed by a significant (27 cents per gallon) increase in the price of gasoline. art object the spill contributed to that increase, other factors at the time may take a shit had a greater impact on gasoline prices (Nash, 1989, p. A1).

These complicate a low level of oil in atomic number 20 refineries and new regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule the chemical composition of gasoline. Refiners found that under the EPA's measures, a bighearted amount of the gasoline on hand could not be marketed. In addition, a fire on a large oil platform in the North Sea also cut the supply available at the time. "The price increase would have come even without the Alaska oil spill, but three months of increases were compressed into one" (p. D2).

Matsen, Brad. (1989, October). Solid returns of hatchery fish are deflower by poor wild runs. National Fisherman 70, pp. 1-2.

Gilson, Tom. (1989, December). Impacts of an environmental disaster on a small local government: The Valdez, Alaska, oil spill. Public Management 71, pp. 18-19.

The effect on younger fish is less clear and more difficult to determine. capacious numbers of young larvae could have been poisoned by oil in the water. Young salmon feed on plankton in alter water off beaches. If they ingested water after the spill, they may make grow cancer or reproductive disorders. Adult salmon travel to spawn do not normally feed near the beaches and are thought to have su
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