The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill - 1581 Words

Governments should be held responsible for dealing with environmental hazards resulting from previous resource use and environmental standards that are no longer acceptable today. Through the instances of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, the Kuwait Oil Fires, the Hurricane Katrina devastation and the Sydney Tar Ponds, this paper will develop an argument supporting the idea that governments should be given the responsibility to handle environmental hazards that result from the prior use of resources as well as environmental regulations that are no longer up to standard. Arguments/Examples I. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill To begin, the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill was a man-made environmental disaster that occurred in 1989. On March 24, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker struck Bligh Reef and spilled 260,000 barrels of crude oil into the waters of Prince William Sound in Alaska (Piatt, Lensick, Butler, Kendziorek Nysewander, 1990). Eventually, this oil spread across 30,000 km ² of water, damaging ecosystems and marine life along the way (Piatt, 1990). Evidently, this oil spill is considered to be one of the most destructive man-made environmental disasters in history (Dimdam, 2013). Initial government response to the disaster proved challenging due to the remote location of Prince William Sound. As a result, this led to a slow and inadequate clean up of oil in the Alaskan waters. The oil clean up took approximately four years, until the clean up efforts were eventually called off by theShow MoreRelatedThe Exxon Valdez Oil Spill1718 Words   |  7 PagesThe Exxon Valdez A corporation has a moral duty to ensure that their products and operations do not cause harm to society and the environment. There are significant factors that must be taken into consideration to ensure the proper response is put forth if disaster rears its ugly head. Many times, when disaster strikes, companies do not always make the appropriate response, or they do not remediate the problem efficiently enough to maximize their efforts. The Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 is aRead MoreThe Exxon Valdez Oil Spill1090 Words   |  5 PagesThis presentation features the Exxon Valdez oil spill, which significantly affected the environment in and around Valdez, Alaska. In this connection, Group D will explore: the background information of Prince William Sound, the oil business in Valdez and the event of the oil spill. Next, the team defines the problems – that is, the effects of the spill – what damage did it cause. After, we will diagnose the issues – meaning that the group intends to pinpoint the root causes of the problems. The nextRead MoreThe Exxon Valdez Oil Spill1663 Words   |  7 PagesThe Exxon Valdez oil spill was the largest oil spill in U.S history. It was a catastrophic disaster that the U.S swore to learn from. Twenty two years later as the prevention procedures became complacent, the Deepwater Horizon explosion made us re-examine our procedures as a nation. The Deepwater Horizon explosion is now the second worst oil spill in the world following the Gulf War Oil Spill in Kuwait in 1991. The U.S used similar techniques to clean the water as the Exxon Valdez clean up, howeverRead MoreThe Exxon Valdez Oil Spill1150 Words   |  5 PagesThe Exxon-Valdez oil spill occurred on March 24, 1989, when the tanker Exxon Valdez, transporting oil from Valdez, Alaska to Los Angeles, California, ran aground on the Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The root cause of the accident was the captain. After passing through Valdez Narrows , pilot Murphy left the vessel and Captain Hazelwood took over the wheelhouse. It was Captain Hazelwood who made the decision to steer the ship off its normal path in order to avoid a run in with ice. ForRead MoreThe Exxon Valdez Oil Spill1999 Words   |  8 PagesPart 1 – Briefly describe the Exxon Valdez oil spill: On March 24th 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound Alaska, spilling roughly 10.8 gallons of crude oil polluting over a thousand miles of Alaska’s coast (Gerken, 2014). At its time, it was the worst oil spill in history, lasting for several days. It was caused by the negligence of the captain who was reportedly intoxicated at the time. The oil was very quickly dispersed over a wide area of land because of extremeRead More Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Essay1835 Words   |  8 Pages Exxon Valdez Oil Spill ABSTRACT nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In March of 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska. An eighteen foot wide hole was ripped into the hull, and 10.9 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the ocean. In the following weeks, many things transpired. This paper will discuss the cleanup, the damage, and the results of the biggest oil spill in United States history. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;On March 24, 1989, inRead MoreExxon Valdez Oil Spill Essay1855 Words   |  8 PagesExxon Valdez Oil Spill ABSTRACT In March of 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska. An eighteen foot wide hole was ripped into the hull, and 10.9 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the ocean. In the following weeks, many things transpired. This paper will discuss the cleanup, the damage, and the results of the biggest oil spill in United States history. On March 24, 1989, in Prince William Sound Alaska, the Exxon Valdez was movingRead MoreThe Exxon Valdez And Bp Oil Spill1309 Words   |  6 PagesPitchon 12/11/12 References Gill, Duane A., J. Steven Picou, and Liesel A. Ritchie. The Exxon Valdez and BP oil spills: a Comparison of Initial Social and Psychological Impacts. American Behavioral Scientist (2011): 3-23. This article was concerned in identifying psychological impact of disasters. The article analyzed the psychological effects of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and the 2010 BP oil spill. The article discussed how years after these disasters the environment and the people feltRead MoreAnalysis of Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Essay1737 Words   |  7 PagesMahalia Gauld January 18, 2011 MGMT 2850 Case Study #1- Exxon Valdez Situation in Brief: On March 24, 1989, an Exxon supertanker spilled 11 million gallons of oil while traveling through the pristine waters of Alaska’s Prince William Sound. The consequences of this spill were detrimental and continue to affect life today. The oil spill killed thousands of wildlife, extensively damaged a portion of the beautiful Alaskan environment, and eventually affected the economy to global proportionsRead More Business Ethics and the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Essay3442 Words   |  14 Pagesunderstand the difference between right and wrong. Since businesses touch such a large segment of our society, codes of ethics must be established and followed to protect the general public. In the following pages we will discuss the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill disaster and examine how it relates to (1) the state of business ethics since 2000, (2) examples of the classic schools of ethics - golden rule, golden mean, utilitarianism, and categorical imperative, (3) three challenges journa list face