Alaska Gas Well Blowout (Washington Post)

Gas flow prevents end to Alaska well blowout; environmental groups warn of offshore drilling

By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, February 16, 6:07 PM

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A blowout at an exploratory well near the coast of the Beaufort Sea underscores the threat to the pristine Arctic Ocean environment if offshore drilling is allowed by the Obama administration, environmental groups said Thursday.

No crude oil spilled onto the tundra and no workers were injured in the incident Wednesday, but an estimated 42,000 gallons of drilling mud was spit out of the well owned by Repsol E&P USA Inc. The blowout on the Colville River Delta, 18 miles northeast of the village of Nuiqsut, also expelled natural gas that could have ignited.