Halt drilling push
This historic oil spill is a catastrophe for the environment. Tone-deaf politicians in national and state legislatures should stop trying to push for more drilling through sneaky maneuvers.
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News of the actual estimated North Slope spill volume - more than 201,000 gallons - is 10 times the figure originally reported by the oil companies earlier to the papers and radio.
The fact that the oil spill occurred in a caribou-crossing area in Prudhoe Bay is a painful reminder of the reality of unchecked oil and gas development across Alaska's North Slope. Aging infrastructure, corroded pipes and failed leak-detection systems ensure that more big accidents like this are a matter of time, especially if Congress opens up the refuge.
Cliff Lobaugh
Juneau