thesis
Shortly after midnight on March 24, 1989, the supertanker Exxon Valdez struck Bligh Reef, spilling eleven million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound in the Gulf of Alaska. The spill was a catastrophic environmental tragedy that affects the area to this day, but it also served as a catalyst for public awareness and outrage, ultimately leading to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, which was legislation designed to prevent or mitigate future oil spills.
Background: Local fisherman's boots in Prince William Sound, 1989, The Atlantic.