I'm certain the leak described at the link will be investigated as well. Note it was self-reported as soon as it was suspected. This allows maximum availability of response time for action.
The largest quantity estimate, 400 gallons, is less than 10 barrels (42 US gallons to the US barrel). I think it's commendable the leak was so small - I don't know the capacity of this particular pipeline, but the High Island system I'm confident moves more than 10 barrels a day of crude in the course of normal operations (several orders of magnitude more). However, if a total 'zero tolerance' policy is what some desire, we need to include all vehicle oil pans and transmission pans, and drips from them to the environment. Municipal storm water systems generally have little, if any, facilities for recovering the oil from the vehicle drips from all the mega-mall parking lots and Supercenters that goes through the storm water (not sanitary sewer) systems to point of discharge. Basically, Bill51 mentioned boats, but neglected to consider vehicles not traveling on water.
Now, does that provide a reasonable comparison with say Ixtoc 1, just for consideration?
These are just my impressions from growing up in South Texas, I have no scientific data, but I think Bill51 is most likely right in terms of offshore drilling and production in the Gulf of Mexico may have reduced natural hydrocarbon seep rates. I don't think drilling activities increased tar on the beaches while I was growing up, I think cheap imported oil was more likely the cause. When I was younger and domestic production was higher, tar on the beaches was very uncommon. As we got more imported oil, and when it was cheap, I think more was put into the system by the tankers leaving. With higher prices, and things like crude oil washing (COW) systems invented and used on the tankers, the tar is much less again (I last visited September 2005). Again, I have no data to back this up, just my personal impressions. So to me, improving domestic production also helps reduce risk factors for potential pollution.
I've noticed some of the same folks who say they don't want to be part of a climate experiment through increased fossil fuel combustion are the same who often point to the rising demand curve in China and India. I haven't seen what the predictions are if the USA quits consuming so much petroleum - what effect that is predicted to have on the rising demand curve outside the USA and western Europe. I suspect that with less competition, the portion that would not be consumed in the USA may well be added to the consumption of China, India, and / or other countries outside the USA and western Europe, with net consumption globally being little changed, if any. Only time will tell.
