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Down To Earth

Another BP Oil Spill - this time in Alaska



After Yellowstone, the bad news just keeps coming. A pipeline at a BP oil field in Alaska burst over the weekend, spilling between 2,100 and 4,200 gallons of an oily water and methanol mixture in Alaska's North Slope, reports Reuters and the Anchorage Daily News, during a pressure test.

In May, BP said it would pay $25 million as a penalty in a settlement over another 2006 spill in the North Slope at the same location.

From Reuters:

A BP spokesman said the cleanup was under way and the company would determine the cause "in due course."

Lisburne, which is managed as part of the Greater Prudhoe Bay Unit, has produced no oil since June 18, according to Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission records, suggesting maintenance work requiring a prolonged shutdown.

The Anchorage Daily News said people who were in buildings near where incident occurred could feel the ground shake from the force of the rupture. The spill consisted of 60% methanol and 40% "produced fluids," which include crude oil, water, brine and other substances associated with oil production. About 2,000 square feet of aquatic tundra was affected and nearly 5,000 square feet of a gravel pad.

The spill occurred at a drill site in the Lisburne Production Facility, only 800 feet from Prudhoe Bay.

It's official: BP now stands for Busted Pipe.



Down To Earth

The DTE blog is committed to reporting and sharing environmental news and sustainability information from across the Inland Northwest.