NATION : U.S. Grand Jury Probes Exxon Spill
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A federal grand jury has been convened to consider possible criminal charges in the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the FBI confirmed today.
“I can’t deny a grand jury has been convened,†said FBI Special Agent Tom Matthews. “Subpoenas have been served. We’re just in the beginning. The investigation has just started.â€
Matthews said he could not report how many subpoenas have been issued or identify targets of the grand jury probe. He said he was not free to report whether the probe had gone beyond possible violations of the Clean Water Act cited by the Justice Department.
There was speculation that the federal grand jury was examining Exxon itself, but this could not be confirmed. Questioning at an earlier hearing into the matter examined Exxon policies as well as actions of individual crew members and Coast Guard tanker-tracking practices.
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