Oil Spill Accident In Cook Inlet; Center For Biological Diversity Reacts

An oil slick has been detected off the Cook Inlet coast, prompting concerns about long-term effects on fish and wildlife. Here’s more from the Anchorage Daily News:

A pilot reported the sheen Monday afternoon near an offshore oil and gas platform on the west side of the Inlet, according to Anna Carey, a spill prevention and response manager with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation. 

Numerous reports described the sheen as about 5 miles long. 

Hilcorp, which operates 15 active and inactive platforms in the Inlet, “continues to investigate their assets in the area,” Carey said in an email. An Alaska Response Corp. vessel was en route to the area late Monday with response equipment and to investigate any potential sources of the sheen, she said.

The Center for Biological Diversity has weighed in on the incident:

“It’s gut-wrenching to see the inlet’s beleaguered salmon and belugas take a hit they can’t afford from a miles-long oil spill,” said Cooper Freeman, Alaska director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “We need Cook Inlet’s fish and wildlife to recover, and we can’t keep treating their home like an industrial waste zone. This is yet another wake-up call that our over-reliance on fossil fuels imperils not just our region’s long-term energy stability, but the vitality of our environment for all future Alaskans.”