Hard as it may be to believe, ExxonMobil Corp. is still fighting a lawsuit arising from the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound. True, the company is facing a $5 billion judgment. And Exxon says it has already paid $3 billion in costs related to the accident. But the $3 billion comes to just over $177 million a year over the 17 years since the tanker ran aground. Significant, sure, but ExxonMobil reported profits of $10 billion in just the third quarter of 2005 – that’s more than $3 billion a month. All that cash flowing into a company responsible for a huge environmental catastrophe can mean only one thing: We’re facing a potentially disastrous money spill. ExxonMobil shares rose 2.2% Friday to close at $61.27. — Jeffrey Kanige
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