HJR 12 Summary

• Urges Alaska Department of Law and U.S. Department of Justice to file a court motion compelling ExxonMobil to pay $92,240,982 plus approximately $35,000,000 in interest under the "Reopener for Unknown Injury" provision of the 1991 Exxon Valdez settlement.

• Expresses legislative disappointment that ExxonMobil has refused to pay the demand submitted on August 31, 2006, despite agreeing to the reopener clause that provided up to $100,000,000 for unanticipated environmental damages.

• Notes that only 19 of 32 monitored resources injured by the spill have recovered, with some species like Pacific herring and AT1 transient orcas showing no recovery, and substantial lingering oil remains in beach substrates.

• States that state and federal governments are over six years behind schedule on the "Subsurface Lingering Oil Restoration Timeline" project and faces a June 24, 2016 statute of limitations deadline on collecting the claim.

• Directs the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council to use existing funds to immediately begin subsurface lingering oil restoration work until the full payment demand is collected.