Around midnight on March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran into Bligh Reef. The result was the release of about 11 million gallons of oil into the Prince William Sound in Alaska, loss of wildlife, and new environmental policies. The aim of this investigation is to identify the environmental policies that developed as a result of the oil spill, analyze why and if these policies were enacted, and search for evidence to either affirm or refute whether the oil spill made an impact on the development of environmental policies. Evidence and information will be pulled from various books, such as The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill by Tom Schouweiler, and from articles, such as “Update of Implementation of Recommendations from the NRT Following the
…show more content…
The OPA 90 established citizens’ advisory councils to promote policy changes in relation to tankers, and established The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council in order to be a guide in the spending of a $900 million fine judged on Exxon. The Alaskan state legislature passed a law that requires captains of oil tankers to take a breathalyzer test within the hour prior to them boarding the tanker. When a person fails this test, they are not allowed to captain the ship nor board. Laws also passed requiring that two pilots must be on the bridge of the tankers till the tanker passes Bligh Reef, and two tugboats must escort any tanker while in the Prince William Sound. Months after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, another tanker by the name of Antigun Pass was prevented from colliding with Bligh Reef and an oil spill was prevented with these new requirements. According to a Coast Guard study, human error is the cause of 85% of all tanker accidents. The OPA 90 was a direct result of the Exxon Valdez oil spill . According to the Arctic program director for the Wilderness Society, Lois Epstein, there has been a nationwide drop in tanker …show more content…
With more people promoting the oil spill, more was done. Therefore, the oil spill gave way to new prevention measures. The regulation of using breathalyzer tests is obviously the result of the captain of the tanker being drunk while captaining the ship. With this new regulation, people probably expected there to be less oil spills due to human error in regards to captains who drink. Parts of the OPA 90 obviously prevented major spills from happening specifically in Prince William Sound. Because these new requirements prevented another oil spill from happening, it is safe to say that the OPA 90 was a major development in environmental policies that stemmed from the Exxon Valdez. Because 85% of all tanker accidents results from human error, it justifies why the OPA 90 consisted of many requirements and regulations dealing with people and liability. The decline in tanker spills has been associated with the transfer from single-hull ships to double-hull ships, meaning that double-hull ships prevent major oil spills. This is significant because it allows for new shipbuilding techniques to protect the environment from other major spills. The OPA 90 also enacted a liability fund. This made oil companies follow through with the new regulations, for now they have to pay hefty bills for any oil spill. Because many
The OPA 90 established citizens’ advisory councils to promote policy changes in relation to tankers, and established The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council in order to be a guide in the spending of a $900 million fine judged on Exxon. The Alaskan state legislature passed a law that requires captains of oil tankers to take a breathalyzer test within the hour prior to them boarding the tanker. When a person fails this test, they are not allowed to captain the ship nor board. Laws also passed requiring that two pilots must be on the bridge of the tankers till the tanker passes Bligh Reef, and two tugboats must escort any tanker while in the Prince William Sound. Months after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, another tanker by the name of Antigun Pass was prevented from colliding with Bligh Reef and an oil spill was prevented with these new requirements. According to a Coast Guard study, human error is the cause of 85% of all tanker accidents. The OPA 90 was a direct result of the Exxon Valdez oil spill . According to the Arctic program director for the Wilderness Society, Lois Epstein, there has been a nationwide drop in tanker …show more content…
With more people promoting the oil spill, more was done. Therefore, the oil spill gave way to new prevention measures. The regulation of using breathalyzer tests is obviously the result of the captain of the tanker being drunk while captaining the ship. With this new regulation, people probably expected there to be less oil spills due to human error in regards to captains who drink. Parts of the OPA 90 obviously prevented major spills from happening specifically in Prince William Sound. Because these new requirements prevented another oil spill from happening, it is safe to say that the OPA 90 was a major development in environmental policies that stemmed from the Exxon Valdez. Because 85% of all tanker accidents results from human error, it justifies why the OPA 90 consisted of many requirements and regulations dealing with people and liability. The decline in tanker spills has been associated with the transfer from single-hull ships to double-hull ships, meaning that double-hull ships prevent major oil spills. This is significant because it allows for new shipbuilding techniques to protect the environment from other major spills. The OPA 90 also enacted a liability fund. This made oil companies follow through with the new regulations, for now they have to pay hefty bills for any oil spill. Because many