"NEW YORK/ANCHORAGE -- BP Plc on Tuesday began cleaning up an oil spill from a leaky Alaskan pipeline, but said it has not determined what caused the leak or how much material spilled onto the snow-covered tundra.

The leak is the latest setback for the British oil giant. A major Alaskan spill in early 2006 revealed pipeline corrosion issues at BP-controlled Prudhoe Bay, the largest U.S. oilfield complex, which the company has sought to fix. ...

BP started removing oil mist from a road adjacent to the 18-inch (45-cm) diameter leaky pipeline, but response crews have not been able to reach the main spill area yet...."

Joshua Schneyer and Yereth Rosen report for Reuters December 2, 2009. [2]