The Nation - News from April 25, 1989

Exxon called a news conference in Valdez, Alaska, to announce that the cleanup of the oil spilled into Prince William Sound in a tanker accident March 24 is ahead of the pace calculated in the oil company’s federally approved plan, which figures the cleanup will be done by Sept. 15. K.T. Koonce, Exxon USA’s vice president for exploration and production, said 70% of the more than 10-million-gallon spill had evaporated, dissipated or been recovered. An estimated 1.2 million gallons still is afloat. However, Dennis Kelso, commissioner of Alaska’s Department of Environmental Conservation, questioned Exxon’s claim and said the oil company’s efforts remain inadequate. Kelso said that the estimate was based on Exxon’s computer models and could be off by as much as 50%.