COMPANIES That state and federal regulators have allowed BP to keep the western side of its Alaskan oilfield open does not mean the US authorities are letting down their guard.
BP-operated Prudhoe Bay is considered such high risk for potential leaks that regulators are demanding that the UK oil company continue heightened inspections of the lines until they can be cleaned of sludge that has been building for 14 years in some parts and tested with state-of-the-art "pigging'' equipment for corrosion that has caused leaks in recent months.
