[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 51 (Wednesday, April 2, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E478]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       EXXONMOBIL'S RECKLESSNESS

                                 ______
                                 

                         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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