Exxon Valdez Settlement Bar Lifted: A federal...

Exxon Valdez Settlement Bar Lifted: A federal judge gave the go-ahead to settlement of legal claims over the Exxon Valdez oil spill, as long as the accord provides protection for the rights of five native Alaskan villages. Alaska Gov. Walter J. Hickel, in Washington to take part in the negotiations with the Justice Department and Exxon, said the settlement could be reached as quickly as today. U.S. District Judge Stanley Sporkin, who barred any settlement last week after the villages brought suit, said he would replace his earlier order with a new one declaring that any settlement does not prevent the villages from pursuing their claims against the oil giant in state courts.