NOAA Commemorates the 20th Anniversary of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill

On Friday, March 13, 2009 NOAA's Deputy Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere Mary Glackin was joined by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Senator Mark Begich (D-AK), Representative Jay Inslee (D-WA), and approximately 100 NOAA staff, congressional staff, partners, and media to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the 11 million gallon Exxon Valdez oil spill that occurred in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Additional speakers included Rear Admiral Sally Brice-O'Hara, Deputy Commandant for Operations of the U.S. Coast Guard, Patience Anderson Faulkner and Donna Schantz of the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens Advisory Council, Greg Pollock from the Texas General Lands Office, and Robert Van Fossen from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.  The event was sponsored by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

Twenty years ago, our Nation experienced one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history when the Exxon Valdez tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound, spilling nearly 11 million gallons of oil.  The spill spread across 1,300 miles of pristine coastline, resulting in significant impacts to natural resources, local industries, and communities. These impacts are still felt today. The spill was a landmark event that raised the public's awareness of oil spills and the devastating effects which result. 

This event focused on the progress our Nation has made in oil spill preparedness, response, and restoration, the current challenges we still face, as well as new emerging issues, such as the opening up of shipping channels in the Arctic due to loss of sea ice, increases in marine transportation, and potential increase in offshore energy exploration. This event gave NOAA and partners a good opportunity to highlight all of these issues.

Senator Murkowski addresses attendees at Capitol Hill commemorative event.