Student Post: Exxon Oil Spill

Tuesday’s reading focused on the EXXON oil spill, perhaps one of the most devastating man made natural disasters. 750,000 barrels of crude oil were spilled in Prince William Sound, Alaska after an oil tanker was grounded on Prince William Sound’s Bligh Reef. By far the most devastating result of the spill was the effect it had on the wildlife in the Alaskan waters and shoreline.

20 years after the spill, researchers determined that the effects of the EXXON disaster were more devastating then the company had lead on. Whether this was intentional or whether it was due to an undereducated disaster relief team, is of course unknown. Although disaster relief assessed both the long term and short term effects of the spill, the majority of cleanup efforts were focused on avoiding immediate damages that would be caused. If there were more collaboration between oil companies such as Exxon and experienced researchers, more emphasis could have been placed on future cleanup as well as the actions that needed to be taken immediately. This would likely have lead to a different outcome in the Prince William Sound area, which has since lost hundred of orcas, sea otters, seals, and seabirds, all losses that could have been prevented had clean up efforts focused more on repercussions of the future.

Researchers from North Carolina University determined that it could take as long as 30 years for shoreline Arctic habitats to recover, a number the EXXON has disagreed with. Ideally there should be no room for disagreement among the expected ramifications in a natural disaster of this level. This could likely be remedied with a more experienced team of disaster relief within the oil companies themselves, who are working alongside outside researchers for even more backup and support in their research.

Risk assessment needs to focus more on the damages that will have resulted after 20-30 years, as opposed to the immediate effects in the months following such a disaster. Obviously the impact of an oil spill lasts for many decades; what is done immediately after a disaster of this severity is just as important as the actions taken for the long term battle. Further, one issue to more closely examine is the idea that the ramifications of an oil spill could largely depend on where exactly the spill occurred. More extensive research and investigation should focus on what should be done in the specific location affected.

Further research has indicated that the instruments necessary for a clean up need to accommodate the spills effect on the top layer of the sea as opposed to the effects the spill had on the ocean floor. Again, this level of education was not in place for the team at EXXON and further lead to an inadequate response on their behalf.

As it currently stands, the safeguards for preventing future disasters with an educated disaster relief team have not been put in place with companies such as EXXON. Shifting the focus from the immediate fix to long term relief efforts will better aid in both the preservation of wildlife and in the long term health of our environment .