exxon

I have recently learned about the disaster of the Exxon Valdez.

Alaska is a place of roaring beauty. Wildlife move around every corner. That is, until that fateful March morning in 1989. The oil spilt, and that was the end of it. The environment was severely damaged. Thousands of animals of Alaska died. The bald eagle's population nearly divided by two. Thousands of birds died from licking their feathers to clean themselves. Hundreds of sea otters died because they licked their fur. Because of this tragedy, Exxon should pay punitive damages because they were responsible.

I think that Exxon should pay the punitive damages because they hired the captain, even though they were aware of his drinking problem. He was also responsible because he put the third mate in charge, even though he was not licensed in that area. Also he was slow to report the oil spill, and even when he did, he made it seem like it was not a big deal.

But it is not just the captain's fault. Exxon should've worked harder on their clean up plan. It was unworkable. Beaches are still drenched in the toxic oil, even after nearly 20 years.

People were also affected. Fishermen lost jobs because they were not able to fish. People were poisoned by eating sea animals that had ingested the toxic oil. Herring factories were shut down because only 3 or 4 had been seen within the year after the oil spill. People in Cordova were not able to adjust to their new way of life.

That is why I think that Exxon should pay the punitive damages. I hope this will teach them a lesson to be more prepared, so this does not happen again in the future.