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Remembering The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill NPR examines the lasting effects of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and the shifts in policy, regulation and research in the 25 years since.
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Remembering The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

Why Oil Drilling Is Both Safer And Riskier Since Exxon Valdez

The Ohmsett research facility, which researches oil spill response, was closed just before the Exxon Valdez accident. It was reopened as part of the measures included in the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Jeff Brady/NPR hide caption

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Jeff Brady/NPR

Why Oil Drilling Is Both Safer And Riskier Since Exxon Valdez

The 1989 oil spill prompted changes in oil industry regulation and spill research. But oil companies today are working in more remote places than ever, from the Arctic to deep below the ocean floor.

Why Oil Drilling Is Both Safer And Riskier Since Exxon Valdez

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A Dubious Birthday For The Exxon Valdez

The Exxon Valdez spill prompted lawmakers and regulators to change how they oversee the oil industry. And while experts say the industry's safer now, riskier work continues to test the rules.

A Dubious Birthday For The Exxon Valdez

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25 Years After Spill, Alaska Town Struggles Back From 'Dead Zone'

Orca Inlet, Cordova's fishing harbor, on a blustery day this month. Commercial fishing is the small Alaskan town's primary industry. Marisa Peñaloza/NPR hide caption

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Marisa Peñaloza/NPR

25 Years After Spill, Alaska Town Struggles Back From 'Dead Zone'

The tiny fishing town of Cordova, Alaska, has weathered disruption in every facet of life since an oil tanker ran aground in 1989, spilling millions of gallons of oil into Prince William Sound.

25 Years After Spill, Alaska Town Struggles Back From 'Dead Zone'

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Why The Exxon Valdez Spill Was A Eureka Moment For Science

An oiled murre passes the darkened shoreline near Prince William Sound, Alaska, less than a month after the March 1989 spill. Erik Hill/Anchorage Daily News/MCT/Landov hide caption

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Erik Hill/Anchorage Daily News/MCT/Landov

Why The Exxon Valdez Spill Was A Eureka Moment For Science

In the aftermath of the 1989 oil spill off the Alaskan coast, scientists expected the worst damage to be short-lived. Instead, the spill shattered conventional wisdom about oil's affect on wildlife.

Why The Exxon Valdez Spill Was A Eureka Moment For Science

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