On March 24 , 1989 , the Exxon Valdez oil tanker struck Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound , spilling an estimated 260,000 to 750,000 barrels of crude oil . The Exxon Valdez oil spill was a major environmental disaster for the state . Governor Steve Cowper , who held office at the time of the spill , appointed Walter Parker as the chairman of the Alaska Oil Spill Commission in 1989 . The Alaska Oil Spill Commission was created by the Alaska state government to investigate the causes of the Exxon Valdez oil spill . Under Parker , the Commission issued 52 recommendations to improve national , state and oil industry policies in the wake of the Exxon Valdez disaster . One the recommendations called for a creation of a citizen committee to oversee the oil industry in the Prince William Sound , which led to the formation of the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens ' Advisory Council . The United States Congress adopted 50 of the Committee 's 52 recommendations into the Oil Pollution Act of 1990
Exxon Valdez oil spill
Exxon Valdez oil spill
Walter B. Parker