Group seeks $100 mln for Exxon Valdez Spill-WSJ
Date: 09-Sep-02
Country: USA
The Coastal Coalition filed a motion in U.S. District Court in Anchorage, asking that a special master be appointed to seek the money from Exxon Mobil, the Journal reported.
A company spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
Citing what it calls excessive delays, the motion asks the court to remove the U.S. and Alaska's state government from their responsibility of seeking the funds, the Journal reported.
The money is being sought as part of a 1991 settlement between Exxon and state and federal authorities, in which both governments were allowed to seek the extra money for damages not predicted at the time, the Journal reported.
Although Exxon agreed to pay $1 billion at the time to help restore pristine beaches and waterways affected by the spill of 11 million gallons of oil from the tanker Valdez into Alaska's Prince William Sound, the environmentalists say local wildlife remains severely affected with hundreds of millions of dollars more restoration work needed, the Journal reported.
Under a so-called reopener clause in the settlement, the U.S. and Alaska are entitled to seek the added $100 million, the Journal reported.
