Exxon Valdez Oil Disaster 15 Years Later

VALDEZ, AK - APRIL 6: A sea otter feeds, April 6, 2004, near Valdez, Alaska. It is fifteen years since the Exxon Valdez super-tanker split open on a submerged reef and spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989, and still legal fights continue. Experts thought the crude would be gone by 1995 but oil still clings to rocks on once-pristine beaches where sea otters digging into relatively fresh oil are still unleashing toxins. Residents and scientists are pushing for a 100 million USD re-opener of the landmark 900 million USD civil settlement Exxon signed in 1991 to resolve environmental claims before it expires in 2006, amid fears that the Bush administration will not attempt to secure the additional 100 million USD. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)