Officials say federal and state workers have reduced the amount of pressure in an oil well that is misting natural gas on Alaska’s frozen North Slope.
A statement Sunday from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation says the workers from the department and the Environmental Protection Agency on Saturday night were able to connect hoses to valves that allow pressure in the well to be reduced.
The statement says pressure in the well was monitored all night and excess pressure was released from the well.
The Environmental Protection Agency says a crack in a BP wellhead near Deadhorse sent up mist of crude oil Friday before it froze over and an initial leak stopped.
It’s unclear how much has vented, but nearby workers have been evacuated and native Alaskan villages dozens of miles away have been notified.
No injuries have been reported.
