How Many DUers Have Heard About the Still Growing Major Alaskan Oil Spill?

[Clara T]

Slope oil spill likely to keep growing
21,000 GALLONS: Prudhoe Bay's sixth-largest cleanup has crews busy.

By WESLEY LOY
Anchorage Daily News

Published: March 7, 2006

At least 21,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from a leaky pipeline in the Prudhoe Bay field, according to an estimate from BP and the state.

That's the amount of oil cleanup workers recovered by 5:45 p.m. Friday, 36 hours after discovery of the leak.
The spill ranks as the sixth-largest oil spill ever on the North Slope, and the size is likely to increase once cleanup workers fully assess the extent of the spill. The largest was 38,850 gallons at the Milne Point field in 1989, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

State officials said Monday they were implementing a three-pronged plan to determine the full size of the spill. "We will determine volume estimates in a scientific and systematic fashion," said Leslie Pearson, a DEC on-scene coordinator.

Officials said Monday that about 1,260 barrels -- or nearly 53,000 gallons -- of oil and snowmelt had been recovered in cleanup operations. A BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. operator found the leaking oil and the line was blocked off and depressurized, but the source of the leak eluded investigative teams for nearly three days.

http://www.adn.com/money/story/7510267p-7421918c.html

[NMDemDist2]

1. i've read it here for the last few days in the Environment forum

but still haven't heard a peep in the MSM

[LaurenG]

2. I haven't heard about it at all. Thank you for posting. n/t

[Clara T]

5. Corporate News

Doing their job well. Distractions and fluff. Telling us naught about what is important.

[robinlynne]

16. question for Clara

Clara, did you create that graphic? the one about the media? I am a photographer, and wonder if I can use your concept, and create a photo about it? or if it isn't yours, whose idea is it? It's the salute with the typewriter, and a US flag behind, which, I think, says it all.
Thanks,
sincerely,
Robin

[Clara T]

23. It's an old image

with new wording(s) to more aptly suit todays political situation. The image itself is one of those iconic propaganda poster images that was prevalent in WW 2. The words and layout were created shortly after the creation of the Homeland Security Dept., by whom I do not know. I don't recall where I originally came across the image but have saved it and in fact made an 11X17 print of the image and have it hanging in my auto window. It says alot. I'm sure it is quite okay to use it for any purposes that are non-profit.

Peace and Reciprocity

[TomInTib]

3. "volume estimates in a scientific and systematic fashion"...

translation:

"Maybe next year, maybe not"

[rodeodance]

4. its been in LBN

[northofdenali]

6. Of course. This one was small and relatively benign......

I think most of us who live here have moved from pure hatred (Exxon Valdez) to resignation and, at times, despair.

This are the same assholes that our idiot governor is proposing to give the gas pipeline to, along with more massive tax breaks.

As far as I'm concerned, the oil companies are the worst thing ever to happen to this state, except maybe their imported fundy neocon employees, beginning in about 1968. I'd rather have stayed a revenue-poor, relatively benign state with the best scenery on earth, plenty of back-to-the-landers, and just normal, everyday corruption in Juneau. Once Big Oil got it's handhold, everything went to shit.

A few years ago, some drunk asshole a little north of Fairbanks was able to shoot a hole in the pipeline from his SUV. He was literally falling-down drunk. This is our "basically invincible" pipeline.

<snip>The Alaska pipeline carries more than 800,000 barrels of crude a day from the North Slope oil fields to the Valdez tanker port, about one-eighth of the U.S. production.

The author notes that 300,000 gallons of crude oil spewed out of a bullet hole in 2001 and that the pipeline is largely above ground, exposed and close to a highway.

A Livengood man was sentenced to 16 years in state prison after his conviction for oil pollution, criminal mischief, handling a firearm while drunk and other charges. Authorities say he shot the pipeline with a .338-caliber hunting rifle.

Pipeline operators have found numerous other bullet strikes over the years that did not puncture the pipeline's steel wall. My apologies for the source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,182334,00.html



An interesting piece written several years ago is "Crude Behavior" by Eric Nelson: http://www.alaskaforum.org/crude.html

<snip>What safety inspector Richard Acord witnessed back in September 1991 at Milepost 113.6 would have been a comedy of errors if the consequences were not so grave. Milepost 113.6 is one of 25 animal crossings where the Trans-Alaska pipeline drops below ground to allow migrating caribou and other animals to cross the line. A crew operating a drill rig - a 60,000-pound truck with a giant drill on the chassis - planned to drive it across the pipeline but had failed to follow proper guidelines. In due course, the rig slid off the narrow wood planks laid out for its wheels and sunk to its hubs in thick mud directly above the pipeline. A bad situation got worse when a fuel line broke and diesel spilled out onto the tundra. Appalled at the crew's disregard for established procedures and common sense, Acord tried to issue a stop-work order to develop a plan for extracting the rig and ensuring that the 48-inch diameter mainline pipe had not been damaged. He was rebuffed by the crew's supervisor and told if he didn't cooperate, "they would find somebody who would."

This is just an anecdote in the long history of Pipeline idiocy, incompetance, vandalism and sabotage. Our State Legislature has lately gotten in on the stupidity, knowing they had to try hard to surpass that of the feds and oil companies:

<snip>Senate approves off-road vehicle use along pipeline corridor

By MATT VOLZ, Associated Press Writer

Published: February 8, 2006
Last Modified: February 8, 2006 at 03:18 PM


JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The Alaska Senate on Wednesday tentatively approved lifting a ban on snowmobiles and other off-road vehicles along the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline corridor despite concerns that the plan could make the pipeline more vulnerable to sabotage.


The bill passed by a razor-thin margin, 11-9, mostly along party lines. Senate Resources Chairman Tom Wagoner, R-Kenai, was the lone Republican to vote against the measure.

Besides pipeline security worries, opponents of the proposal argued that lifting the ban along the Dalton Highway north of the Yukon River could put caribou herds in jeopardy, damage the environment and endanger lives.

"It's going to be opening up some of the roughest areas in the world to the weekend warriors that are out there," said Sen. Donny Olson, D-Nome.

And the "weekend warriors mentioned by Sen. Olsen will likely be drunk, as well.

Welcome to Republican Red Alaska.

[Imalittleteapot]

7. Heard here and on AAR -

my connections to the real world

[lonestarnot]

8. We don't hear too much about this egh?

[Nikki Stone 1]

9. Thanks for posting it.

K+R

[Broken_Hero]

10. Thanks for the heads up...

I haven't heard anything about it...K/R....

[Clara T]

11. Kick media embargo in the head

Silence Kills

[file83]

12. Photos and Maps....

Here is a map of the oil fields at Prudhoe Bay:


Location of the hole in the pipe:





An emergency worker monitors a vacuum sucking up oil and melted snow on Friday near a pipeline where a leak was discovered a day earlier:



This sure doesn't LOOK like 53,000 gallons of oil (Nice choice of photos, MSM. Oil Industry PR people must LOVE oil spills during the winter! All that snow just covers it right up.)

[Clara T]

15. I Was looking for pics

and couldn't find them.

Remove the pipeline and the scenery is magnificent. We have so lost the way in our never ending quest for energy. Like vampires.

[file83]

19. Like leeches.

[seemunkee]

13. Only on DU

Haven't seen or heard of it except right here.

[Octafish]

14. Thanks, Clara T.

The same people who largely own Corporate McPravda own Prudhoe Bay.

[oasis]

17. Oilmen will take more care when drilling in the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge

:sarcasm:

[ContraBass Black]

18. The what?

Holy----!

[MellowOne]

20. To get the "real" news

I always come to DU.

Need a reality check?....go underground!

[IronLionZion]

21. The logical solution is to drill in ANWR

The locals want it real bad. Oil good!

:sarcasm:

[enough]

22. If a massive oil spill is not covered in the corporate media,

did it really happen?


Thanks for posting this.

[mousie]

24. nope... hadn't heard this! Thanks.