On Wednesday, Exxon Mobil Corp. will try to convince the U.S. Supreme Court that it should not have to pay $2.5 billion in punitive damages to Alaskan folk affected by the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Exxon, which earlier this month posted an annual profit of $40.6 billion, will argue that the $3.4 billion or so that it’s paid in cleanup costs and other fines should totally suffice. The company also says that Prince William Sound, where the tanker ran aground, is back to its pre-spill pristine state, an opinion disputed by research and people who actually live there.
