On Thursday March 2, 06 BP Alaska reported a discharge of oil and produce water of an unknown quantity from a flow line in the western operating area of Alaska's North Slope Prudhoe Bay oil field. The line runs between Gathering Center 1 and 2 and parallels a gravel roadway. The line sits on top of tundra, a wetland and water of the US, although current conditions are winter artic and the tundra is frozen and snow covered. At approximately 10:45 AM AST BP provided an update to EPA and other agencies regarding the spill potenial. While the area impacted isn't delineated yet BP beleives that the potenail volume is very large, as a result of thier assessment they have requested that a Unified Command be established with them.
Addtional spill responders from BP and Alaska CLean Seas the spill cooperative are being mobilized.
EPA OSC Matt Carr and one START contract personel are flying to the North Slope this afternoon along with the Alaska State On Scene Cooridnator and several state responders.
BP will remove snow from atop of the pipeline and delineate the area impacted. This should provide a volume estimate. Oil will be recovered utilizing vatrucks and removal of contaminated snow. One the spil impact area has been identified a sutiable response tactic will be selected and implemnted
A Unified Command with BP s the Incident Commander and the EPA FOSC & ADEC SOSC will be established this evening. Response objectives and prioirities will be jointly forumlated
Efforts to delienate the spill size and volume discharged are ongoing.
The source of the spill is a 36 inch transmission line however it is burried under snow and the reason for the leak is unknow.
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