Exxon Valdez Oil Spill is the nation's greatest ecological disasters of the 1980's.  On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez struck a reef in Alaska's magnificent Prince William Sound. A total of 11,000,000 gallons of Alaska North Slope crude oil leaked from the ruptured hull of the ship. Within two months, the oil had been driven along a path stretching 470 miles to the southwest. The initial cleanup of the spill took three years, and the cost was over $2.1 billion dollars. The death toll for wildlife was staggering, and we may never know the final numbers. Joseph Hazelwood was the captain of the Exxon Valdez, and despite his admission that he had consumed at least three drinks before boarding the ship, he was acquitted in 1990 of operating the tanker while drunk.  He was, however, convicted of the misdemeanor offense of illegally discharging oil.