Bitter pill for the polluter
On March 24, 1989, the tanker Exxon Valdez was grounded on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons (50 million litres) of oil into the sea. The litigation that ensued is a classic case of evaluation of ecological damage. The jury awarded US $5 billion in punitive fines and over US $306 million as compensation to the fishing industry and the natives of Alaska