Free Republic

It's possible the speed-up means rapid failure of the slope may be ahead, which could send the mass of land crashing into the water below. That could, in turn, create a tsunami in nearby fjords and bays as well as inundation, dangerous waves and currents in the community of Whittier — a risk scientists first warned about in 2020. The steep slope is located in the Barry Arm fjord, in a narrow stretch of water in Prince William Sound. It's located 30 miles northeast of Whittier. Dennis Staley, a research physical scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey who leads the...

VALDEZ, Alaska, - A photo shared by the U.S. Department of Interior shows a brave sea gull attempting to take on a bald eagle that had another sea gull trapped in its talons. The Department of Interior, which shared the photo on Facebook, said photographer David Canales witnessed the struggle while kayaking on Prince William Sound in Alaska. The department said the "epic aerial battle" came to an end when the sea gull gave up on trying to save its friend and the eagle flew off with its prey. Canales posted a second photo on his Facebook account that appears...

Friday December 6, 9:55 pm ET IRVING, Texas (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp., the world's biggest publicly traded oil company, said on Friday a federal court in Alaska has decided it should pay $4 billion in punitive damages for the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Exxon Mobil, which argues that it should pay no more than $40 million for the 1989 tanker accident, said it planned to appeal the order. The decision was handed down by the federal court in Anchorage and reduced to $4 billion from $5 billion the amount of punitive damages awarded last year in connection with...