The Mariner oil platform is leaking.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Bill Coklough said the sheen, about 100 feet wide, was spotted near the platform, 200 miles west of the site of BP's massive spill. Firefighting vessels were battling the flames.
They say the sheen is a mile long. Fortunately they were supposedly able to shut down the active wells shortly after the explosion. In other words -- yes -- the platform was sucking oil, as opposed to early reports that it wasn't producing.
We're a very stupid people. What is it going to take for us to learn that we're committing suicide here? The planet, by the way, will ultimately be just fine. Human beings on the other hand...
UPDATES: PBS reports that boats and planes can't see the sheen.