[Gritty]

Roberts added that natural seepage in places like the Gulf of Mexico "far exceeds anything that gets spilled” by oil tankers and other sources.

Could somebody kindly explain to me why natural oil spills that make the Exxon Valdez seem like chump change are apparently no big deal to the environment when done in the fish-rich, heavily populated Gulf of Mexico; yet, our nations' huge energy reserves in places like a few thousand acres in remotest-corner-of-the-earth ANWR can't be expoited because of "pollution" and environmental concerns?

Am I missing something here?

[Doctor Stochastic]

The environment of the Gulf of Mexico is different from that of Alaska. It's warmer for one thing.

[webwide]

Could somebody kindly explain to me why natural oil spills that make the Exxon Valdez seem like chump change are apparently no big deal to the environment when done in the fish-rich, heavily populated Gulf of Mexico

A couple of thoughts. First, when oil is placed in a tanker has it already been refined to some extent? This might make it different than seepage on the ocean floor. Second, tanker spills near shorelines cause problems for wading birds which are definitely not adapted to oil. It also makes for better pictures and news coverage. Millions of fish could die on the ocean floor and we'd never know.