After the Exxon Valdez oil spill, a Trustee council was formed to make decisions about what to do in the future. First on the agenda was to get back at Exxon. The Exxon company paid $2 billion for the clean-up, and was charged with 4 misdemeanor crimes in court. To settle it out of court, Exxon paid the Trustee Council $1,025,000,000. The Trustee Council divided the money four different groups after reimbursing Exxon: Habitat protection, research, monitoring and restoration, restoration reserve, and science management, public info and administration.

1.Habitat Protection

This is were the bulk of the money was spent. The Trustee Council bought up land that the oil had affected, and even some land that was okay. They are protected under law, so they can't be built on, like a park. It is an easement.

2. Research, Monitoring, and General Restoration

This fund researches how animals are doing, which ones are recovering, recovered, and not recovering. This helps us figure out how we can help. General restoration is helping to restore damaged parts of the environment, or restoring damaged parts from the earthquake to benefit animals hurt by the spill, like salmon streams.

3. Restoration Reserve

This money is kept encase of another spill, and will also help to fund long term restoration projects. When Exxon makes its final payment in September, 2001, the fund is estimated to be worth $140 billion.

4.Science management, Public Info and Administration

This fund tries to educate the public on what happened with the spill. It also prints books, newsletters, etc. It also covers the costs of different administrative agencies.