Oil spill

The largest oil spill since they started keeping track just happened on Alaska's north slope. This according to the Anchorage Daily News. Try searching CNN or the New York Times- you won't find the story, at least not as of 6am Sunday morning. The funny thing is that I found it here on Aljazeera first. Anyway, I was struck by this quote:

Richard Fineberg, a former state oil analyst, said it is too early to determine environment consequences, but said the area, near the start of the trans-Alaska pipeline, does not match the popular image of the state.

"That area is not pristine. It's industrial," he said.

I guess since it's been industrialized an oil spill is no big deal environmentally. Makes me real sorry we haven't started drilling in ANWR already. Sorry, but any talk of "minimal impact" to the environment by drilling is just rediculous. Drilling is just the first part. Obviously there's an ongoing threat any time you are transporting oil- whether it's by pipeline or by tanker. Exxon STILL hasn't fulfilled their responsibilities in Prince William Sound. Any insinuation that big oil is environmentally sensitive is just a bad joke.