ECONorthwest Work
Related Resources
Economic Costs of Oil Spills
ECONorthwest provides economic analysis and expert testimony on the impacts of oil spills and other contamination events.
ECONorthwest (ECONW) has extensive experience identifying and analyzing the range of economic impacts of oil spills and other contamination events on area businesses, workers, municipalities, and other entities. During our twenty years of work on these projects we worked closely with plaintiffs' attorneys and other experts to develop accurate and defensible analyses and results. ECONW's experience includes work on contamination events addressed under multi-district litigation. Our staff of economic experts communicate these results in clear and concise testimony during depositions and trials.
The examples below summarize our work on three spills. For more information on these spills and other representative projects, download the pdf. For more information on ECONW's qualifications contact Ed MacMullan, 541-687-0051, macmullan@econw.com.
ECONorthwest calculated and presented testimony on the economic damages caused by the EXXON Valdez oil spill (EVOS).
ECONW was the lead economic consultant to the council of plaintiffs' attorneys on the EVOS. ECONW helped design, coordinate, and conduct analyses of damages caused by the EVOS for various classes of plaintiffs including: fishermen, landowners, area businesses, and municipal governments.
ECONorthwest estimated impacts of an oil spill on traditional livelihoods of the people of Yap, Micronesia.
ECONW analyzed the economic damages incurred by citizens of the State of Yap, in the Federated States of Micronesia, from a ship that grounded on the coral reef and spilled oil into the mangrove-reef ecosystem. ECONW calculated damages stemming from the spill's impacts on subsistence fishing, recreational swimming, chiefs' governmental activities, and cultural relationships. ECONW also assessed the harm stemming from spill-related risks of future impacts to human and environmental health.
As part of a multi-district litigation, ECONorthwest described the contamination costs of MTBE and ethanol in the U.S. market for oxygenated gasoline.
For multiple plaintiffs throughout the U.S., ECONW analyzed the economic consequences of groundwater contamination stemming from leaks and spills of petroleum products. ECONW conducted cost-benefit analyses and risk assessments in markets for oxygenated gasoline.