Modern society is hooked on oil. The United States, the world's biggest oil user, consumes on the order of 250 billion gallons of oil a year. About half of that is imported from foreign countries. Much of the rest travels a long way from northern Alaska, down the Trans- Alaska Pipeline and then by oil tanker to reach refineries and markets.

All of that oil must be extracted from the ground, often in environmentally sensitive areas such as along coastlines. It then must be transported to refineries through pipelines subject to rupture, or by giant tankers vulnerable to storms and shallow channels. The oil is processed and transported again as gasoline and other fuels to every corner of the world. This presents lots of opportunities for various types of accidents and spills on land and at sea, whether due to human error, mechanical malfunctions, or storms.

Awakened by a Blowout