These days, sport utility vehicles seem to dominate many American highways, and this week two of the corporations producing the tires that SUVs ride on and the oil they use are in the legal spotlight. On Thursday, November 9, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. announced it will give $500,000 to each of the 50 US states, DC, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands to settle claims over allegedly faulty...

Oil, Out of Control is an in-depth Whyfiles story that follows from news coverage of an oil spill off Spain's northwest coast in 2002. This Web site offers a straight look at the issues surrounding this and other famous oil spills, particularly that of the Exxon Valdez off Prince William Sound in 1992. The authors make clear the allegiances of people quoted in the story, while clearly explaining...

Last week marked the tenth anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the worst oil disaster in US history. Eleven million gallons of crude oil spilled into Prince William Sound, Alaska, on March 24, 1989, when the tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground. Although immense clean-up efforts were undertaken and a decade of tidal action and natural weathering has taken place, oil still lingers in many...