Lessons Not Learned: 20 Years After the Exxon Valdez Disaster

This report summarizes what has changed, and what remains unchanged in the 20 years since the 300-meter-long oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989. It addresses the issues of spill prevention and safety, response and recovery, as well as the long-term consequences of oil spills to the environment, to indigenous populations and to the commercial fishing, recreation and tourism industries upon which many people within and beyond the Arctic depend.

The report also offers WWF’s recommendations on guidelines that should shape future offshore oil and gas exploration throughout the Arctic.