Exxon Mobil wins ruling in Alaska oil spill case

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Exxon Mobil Corp. has won the latest round in a dispute with environmentalists who want more money to clean up oil left on the shoreline of Prince William Sound from the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker spill.

A federal judge in Anchorage ruled Monday against a request from former University of Alaska marine science professor Rick Steiner. He filed a motion trying to force the oil company to pay a $92 million claim failed against Exxon in 2006 by the state and federal governments.

The Anchorage Daily News reports government lawyers are waiting for studies on the remaining oil and the effectiveness of cleanup techniques before pursuing the claim.

Exxon says it doesn't have any obligation to pay more. The Irving, Texas, company paid $900 million in restitution in a 1991 settlement.

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Information from: Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com