Exxon gets to keep more money

The Supreme Court has decided to reduce Exxon's liability stemming from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound. The original $5 billion punitive damage decision has previously been slashed in half.

Exxon estimates they have already spent $3.4 billion in total expenses. That argument is disingenuous since the number includes previous settlements with Seattle seafood Companies as well as labor and supply monies spent to clean up the mess. So where does that leave the good citizens of Alaska who relied on the Sound for their livelihood?

"Nearly 33,000 Alaskans are in line to share in the award, about $15,000 a person. They would have collected $75,000 each under the $2.5 billion judgment".

$15,000 per person? That's all the hard-working fishermen, who worked independently of the oil industry in Alaska, are entitled? The original settlement would have provided $151,000 per person, representing a ten-fold reduction.

Absurd.