More than one million liters of oil from an Alaskan pipeline has leaked onto the tundra of Alaska’s north coast, near the Beaufort Sea.
The spill was caused by a tiny hole in a corroded pipe. It went undetected for at least five days, angering environmentalists.
A representative of British Petroleum, the company whose oil flows through that section of pipeline, admits that inspections last year revealed corrosion in the pipe. But she says the company says thought the threat was “manageable.” Critics are accusing BP of negligence.
Crews are braving extreme cold to try to clean up the spill.
The oil spill is among the worst in this Arctic region, and is prompting some environmentalists to question the Bush administration’s drive for more oil exploration in Alaska.
– VOA News
