BP announces Alaskan pipeline leak
Posted Jul 18, 2011 10:48 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Energy giant BP is announcing an oil spill in Alaska, as the company struggles to rebuild its reputation following the Gulf of Mexico disaster.
The pipeline ruptured on Saturday during testing at the Lisburne oil field, currently closed for annual maintenance, sending a mixture of methanol and oily water into the wet tundra.
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation estimates anywhere from 2,100 to 4,200 gallons seeped out of the line, according to Reuters.
An on-scene coordinator with the state says the toxic water mix could harm slow-growing vegetation, but right now, they’re focusing on containing the spill and cleaning it up.
He adds they’ll have to dig up the pipeline to find out exactly what caused the rupture.
Production at the oil field remains shut off while the spill is managed.
