Exxonmobil's Recklessness

EXXONMOBIL'S RECKLESSNESS -- (Extensions of Remarks - April 02, 2008)

SPEECH OF
HON. DAVID G. REICHERT
OF WASHINGTON
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2008

* Mr. REICHERT. Madam Speaker, on March 24, 1989, the worst oil spill in our Nation's history occurred as the supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef and dumped 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound off the scenic Alaskan coast. Five years later, a Federal jury in Anchorage awarded the fishermen, businesses, and affected communities punitive damages. However, to date, Exxon has paid none of the $2.5 billion punitive damages awarded to these fishermen as a result of the environmental devastation caused by ExxonMobil's recklessness.

* What has ExxonMobil done? While the company has paid for the value of the lost fish, it has never compensated the families for their other continuing damages including, in the words of one trial judge, the fact that ``the social fabric of Prince William Sound and Lower Cook Inlet was torn apart.'' There are still thousands of fishermen, food processors, and others who are awaiting justice. Tragically, this number is dwindling as many of those affected have passed away while waiting for some form of resolution that has never come. All the while, ExxonMobil employs one primary tactic: delay. I would usually not comment on litigation that is ongoing, but these delay tactics of repeatedly appealing a just verdict all the way to the Supreme Court are irresponsible and indefensible. It has now been over 19 years since one of the worst environmental disasters in our Nation's history and 14 years since the initial jury verdict.

* I believe in the free market, and I believe a corporation has the right to earn profits, but they also have a responsibility to their community and their country, especially when they make an awful mistake. ExxonMobil has done the former by earning $36 billion in 2006, a record for a single company. Now it is time for ExxonMobil to face up to its corporate responsibility, close this dark chapter in the company's history, and end this undue burden on the victims and the courts.

* March 24, 2008, marked the 19th anniversary of this tragedy--but the question has now turned to: Will our Nation's highest court uphold the judgment that these victims still sadly await?

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