Nation IN BRIEF : ALASKA : Skipper in Oil Spill Goes on Trial Today
Fired Exxon Capt. Joseph Hazelwood, singled out by authorities as the culprit in the wreck of the Exxon Valdez, goes on trial today on criminal charges arising out of America’s worst oil spill. A jury will be selected in Anchorage to decide whether the skipper, who was not at the helm when his tanker ran aground last March 24, bears criminal responsibility for the wreck, which spilled about 11 million gallons of oil. It soiled pristine wilderness, killed up to 270,000 sea birds and thousands of otters and ruined fishing. He is charged with a felony, criminal mischief, and three misdemeanors.
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