An answer for the victims of the Exxon Valdez
by dave reichert
Washington, D.C.,
Jun 25 -
(cross-posted from the Hill's Congress Blog)
My message to ExxonMobil today: the U.S. Supreme Court has spoken. I am sad to hear that the amount of money owed to the victims of the Exxon Valdez spill has been reduced. These innocent Americans have suffered two tragedies; first being the victim of an oil spill, second being the victim of a legal system that allows a corporation to shirk their responsibilities by using legal delays.
But those delays are now over. There are no more excuses for ExxonMobil to fall back on; they must now pay the victims of this disaster what they are owed.
One-third of the victims have passed away while ExxonMobil delayed their way out of paying for the damage they caused to families and businesses when 11 million gallons of their oil spilled in 1989. Exxon is not vindicated in their delay tactics – they were wrong and have been proven legally liable for what they did.
This ruling adds to the obligation we have to pass legislation I have introduced with Congressman Don Young (H.R. 1334) that creates preferential tax treatment to the victims’ final awards, so these victims can get the most out of what’s paid to them. It’s the least we can do to step in and right some of the wrongs that have been committed.
The bill will allow them to maximize the value of the damages received. The measure allows fishermen and others involved in the Exxon Valdez oil spill litigation to average their income for federal tax purposes dating back to 1994, the year of the original settlement. It also gives them the opportunity to contribute any future financial awards from the litigation into retirement accounts.
This bill doesn’t right a wrong – but it can give relief. And that is something these victims deserve.
