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Slick Science

The legacy of the Exxon Valdez oil spill

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On a late March evening in 1989, the Exxon Valdez, an oil tanker owned by the Exxon Shipping Company, spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound.

At the time, it was the largest single oil spill in U.S. waters. It covered 1,300 miles of coastline and killed hundreds of thousands of seabirds, otters, seals and whales.

The world thought that was the end of the story. But there’s so much more to what happened that night in Alaska.

Our newest podcast reinvestigates the Exxon Valdez spill 35 years later, bringing new voices, new information and new stories to one of history’s most infamous environmental disasters.

We hear from scientists and fishers who form unlikely friendships and unfold the trauma of how an oil spill impacts the environment, economy, and people as they fight against Big Oil.

Slick Science: The toxic legacy of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill is a collaboration between Cited Podcast and Canada’s National Observer.

We are crowdfunding to cover the cost of this podcast.

If you'd like to contribute, as little as five dollars per month can help support this work.