Alaska oil pipeline leak stopped, threat to wildlife unclear

The flow of oil from an underwater pipeline leak discovered in Alaska's southern Cook Inlet over the weekend has
been stopped, but it's unclear how much crude poured into the waterposing a threat to wildlife.

The leak was discovered Saturday coming from an 8-inch-widepipeline that was carrying more than 19,000 gallons of crude oil, according to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.

• Natural gas leaking from pipeline in Alaska's Cook Inlet

• Alaska underwater pipeline leak may have started in December

Workers on aHilcorpAlaska LLC offshore platform noticed an oilsheen and bubbling from underwater. State officials said the flow was halted Sunday, but they did not yet know what caused the leak on the west side of Cook Inlet
southwest of Anchorage and were assessing any environmental damage.

The inlet stretches 290 kilometresfrom the Gulf ofAlaska to Anchorage.

"I am deeply concerned about the potential impact to the environment," Gov. Bill Walker said in a statement Sunday. "Our Spill Prevention and Response Team has immediately responded, and iskeeping me apprised of developments."

The pipeline is 23 metresunder the surface of CookInlet and links two platforms.HilcorpAlaska shut down one of itsplatforms and lowered pressure in the pipeline to zero.

Hilcorp, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Environmental Conservationdepartment set up a command post in response to the spill. Dozens ofspecies of fish, birds and marine mammals live in the waters, including endangered beluga whales, Steller sea lions and humpbackwhales.

Natural gas has been leaking from another Hilcorp pipeline in theCook Inlet since mid-December. The company temporarily shut downproduction last weekend, reducing the platforms' need for energy andallowing Hilcorp to reduce pressure in the leaking line.

The company said the sea ice is too thick to safely send diversdown to fix the leak, so that line has not yet been repaired.

The two leaks are unrelated.