Keywords: Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Timeline of Events
June 20, 1977: Oil enters the pipeline at Pump Station One in Prudhoe Bay.
July 28, 1977: Oil reaches Valdez.
August 1, 1977: The first tanker, Arco Juneau, sails out of Valdez. Since then, more than 15,000 tankers have sailed out of the Valdez Oil Terminal.
9:12 p.m., March 23, 1989: The Exxon Valdez oil tanker leaves Valdez with 53 million gallons of crude, bound for California.
12:04 a.m., March 24, 1989: The Exxon Valdez strikes Bligh Reef, spilling 10.8 million gallons.
7:27 a.m., March 24, 1989: The oil slick is about 100 feet wide by four or five miles long.
10 a.m., March 24, 1989: A urine sample shows Capt. Joe Hazelwood to have a blood alcohol content of 0.10 percent.
12 p.m., March 24, 1989: The Exxon Baton Rouge arrives to lighter oil off the wrecked tanker.
12 p.m., March 24, 1989: The oil slick is now three miles wide by five miles long.
6 p.m., March 24, 1989: Cleanup crews drop dispersant but it doesn't work well because there is not enough wave action to mix it with the oil.
7:36 a.m.., March 25, 1989: Lightering operations begin.
8:15 p.m., March 25, 1989: Exxon conducts first bird rescue operation.
8:45 p.m., March 25, 1989: A burn is conducted and about 15,000 gallons of oil are consumed. About 100 square feet of tarry residue is left over. This is the only time in situ burning was allowed.
11:59 p.m., March 25, 1989: Visual observation places the leading edge of the oil slick 16.5 miles southwest of Bligh Reef.
March 29, 1989: In Anchorage Superior Court, two Prince William Sound fishermen file the first lawsuits against Exxon, Alyeska and the state Department of Environmental Conservation claiming the accident and botched clean up efforts will cost them money from lost fishing.
March 31, 1989: Federal transportation officials say ship captain Joseph Hazelwood was too drunk to legally operate the ship. Exxon promptly fires Hazelwood.
April 1, 1989: Hazelwood disappears from Valdez.
April 4, 1989: Hazelwood surrenders to New York state officials. His bail is set at $1 million.
July 10, 1989: Exxon Valdez is towed to and arrives in San Diego. Repairs begin and about 1,500 metric tons of steel are removed and replaced.
Aug. 15, 1989: In state and federal courts Exxon responds to 140 lawsuits brought against the company. Lawyers say no plaintiffs should receive damages, saying that claims by fishermen or cannery workers should have been offset by money earned in the spill cleanup. Exxon also says other parties should share in the blame.
Aug. 15, 1989: The State of Alaska sues Exxon in Anchorage Superior Court, charging they grossly deceived the public about their ability to move crude oil safely, or to clean it up when they failed.
Oct. 23, 1989: Exxon sues the State of Alaska in Anchorage Superior Court, claiming interference from state officials slowed the clean up process.
Feb. 27, 1990: A federal grand jury in Anchorage indicts Exxon and other oil defendants on five counts, two felony and three misdemeanor charges.
June 1990: The tanker, renamed S/R Mediterranean, leaves harbor in San Diego after $30 million of repairs. It was still sailing as of August 2007.
August 1990: Oil Pollution Act signed into law in Washington, D.C. The legislation prohibits any vessel that has caused an oil spill of more than one million gallons in any marine area from operating in Prince William Sound. The act prevented 18 ships from entering Prince William Sound between 1990-2002.
March 13, 1991: In Juneau, Exxon settles claims with state and federal government for $1 billion.
April 25, 1991: U.S. District Court Judge Russel Holland in Anchorage rejects Exxon's previous settlement, saying the $100 million set aside for criminal penalties is not a large enough fine.
Sept. 30, 1991: State and federal officials in Anchorage reach second deal with Exxon. The terms of the settlement mirror those of the first except that the state says it will share scientific and legal data with other potential plaintiffs.
Oct. 8, 1991: Judge Holland approves second settlement in Anchorage.
July 13, 1993: In Anchorage, Alyeska Pipeline Service Company agrees to pay $98 million to settle claims raised by Native corporations, fishermen, business owners and others related to the case.
Sept. 16, 1994: In the case of Baker v. Exxon, an Anchorage jury awards $287 million actual damages, $5 billion punitive damages.
2002: The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco rules against Exxon's appeal of the OPA, prohibiting the rebuilt Exxon Valdez from entering Alaska waters.
Dec. 6, 2002: 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco orders judge Russel Holland to reduce punitive damages. Holland reduces it to $4 billion. Exxon appeals but Holland raises it to $4.5 billion.
Jan. 27, 2006: More appeals and oral arguments are heard by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
Dec. 22, 2006: The damages award was cut to $2.5 billion
May 23, 2007: The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco denies ExxonMobil's request for a third hearing. Exxon then appeals to the Supreme Court, which agrees to hear the case.
Feb. 1, 2008: Exxon posts record profits, $11.7 billion in quarterly profit, earning them $1,300 per second in 2007.
Feb. 27, 2008: The Supreme Court hears oral arguments for 90 minutes. A decision is expected during summer 2008.
