Spilling the oil

I have my own reasons for not wanting development of oil fields on the North Slope of Alaska or ANWR. The "dependency on foreign oil" claim is political bullshit for dumb bunnies. But, for the time being, we should keep in mind these kinds of events. Note the eight-day delay between the "discovery" of the spill and this Reuters report. Then try to find the story elsewhere.

Alaska officials said on Friday that up to 267,000 gallons (6,357 barrels) of crude oil poured out of a pipeline at the Prudhoe Bay field, making it the largest oil spill ever recorded on the state's North Slope.

The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation estimated that a minimum of 201,000 gallons (4,785 barrels) spilled at Prudhoe Bay, the largest U.S. oil field.

The spilled oil spread over 1.9 acres of snow-covered tundra and the environmental impact remains unknown, according to Leslie Pearson, on-scene coordinator for the Department of Environmental Conservation.

The spill was discovered on March 2 on the west side of Prudhoe Bay by a worker for field operator BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc.