What is the environmental impact of oil spills into the ocean?
Sarah, Baton Rouge, LA According to Alaska Sea Grant, oil spills into water place an enormous variety of animals and plants at severe risk from smothering and poisoning. The group says the famous 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster off the coast of Alaska directly killed between 300,000 and 645,000 birds, including bald eagles and many types of sea birds. Seals, otters, killer whales and fish were also killed and injured in alarming numbers. Sea Grant says the oil critically damaged beach ecosystems and contaminated sediments and seriously disrupted local economies. The Oil Pollution Act (OPA) of 1990 improved the federal governments ability to respond to spills and created the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund, which provides up to $1 billion per spill. The act also required that, by 2015, all tankers operating in U.S. waters be double-hulled to protect against spills. But massive oil spills still occur. The sinking of the Greek oil tanker Prestige off the coast of Spain last November resulted in
