Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council (Cook Inlet RCAC) has joined the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council in a friend-of-the-court brief to the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the Exxon Valdez punitive damages case.

The brief, filed January 29th, focuses on one of several issues in the case -- the argument that a corporation is protected from punitive damages based on maritime law precedent set in 1814.

The council felt that joining this brief was prudent given the nature of its mission to promote environmentally safe marine transportation of oil.

"This was a positive move and we feel that this case should set a precedent that a company must be held responsible for its actions," said Cook Inlet RCAC Executive Director Michael Munger. "The council felt strongly that punitive damages weigh heavily as a deterrent to future oil spills."

SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT

Nearly 19 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, its effects on Prince William Sound, Lower Cook Inlet, and the Kodiak Archipelago still are being felt. The oil spill did immeasurable damage to the region, its resources, and its inhabitants. The oil spill damaged the very social and economic fabric of the region, affecting people’s lives, their livelihood, recreational opportunities and subsistence. Although punitive damages cannot repair the socio-economic fabric of the region, they can help to protect it from future spills by deterring the conduct that led to the oil spill. In this brief, PWSRCAC and CIRCAC present their view that punitive damages are essential here as a means of deterring Exxon and other oil companies, by letting them know that the complacency and reckless behavior that led to the grounding of the Exxon Valdez and the most devastating oil spill in North America will not be tolerated. PWSRCAC and CIRCAC have a unique voice in this litigation, in part because they were born out of the Exxon Valdez oil spill itself and in part because they speak for the enduring interests of Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet, the Kodiak Archipelago and their inhabitants. Despite advances in vessel monitoring, marine safety and communications, and spill prevention, several recent incidents suggest that without the threat of punitive damages, the conduct that led to the Exxon Valdez oil spill and its result could occur again. The RCACs believe that punitive damages are necessary to deter Exxon and others from engaging in the conduct that led to the Exxon Valdez oil spill and could lead to future oil spills.

Summary provided by Prince William Sound RCAC

Read the AMICUS Brief here.

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