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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| California oil spill 'emergency' | California oil spill 'emergency' |
| (about 10 hours later) | |
| Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency to help fight an oil spill that is threatening the coast of northern California. | Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency to help fight an oil spill that is threatening the coast of northern California. |
| He has ordered all available resources to be deployed to tackle the 58,000 gallon (228,000 litre) spill, which is putting wildlife and beaches at risk. | He has ordered all available resources to be deployed to tackle the 58,000 gallon (228,000 litre) spill, which is putting wildlife and beaches at risk. |
| The spill occurred on Wednesday, when a tanker struck the San Francisco Bay Bridge, and is said to be spreading. | The spill occurred on Wednesday, when a tanker struck the San Francisco Bay Bridge, and is said to be spreading. |
| Some critics have reportedly questioned the speed of the initial response. | Some critics have reportedly questioned the speed of the initial response. |
| The governor's office said special "skimmers" and booms were being used to try to recover some of the oil and limit the slick's spread. | The governor's office said special "skimmers" and booms were being used to try to recover some of the oil and limit the slick's spread. |
| Mr Schwarzenegger said he had signed the emergency order so that the clean-up operation could progress "without wasting a minute of time". | Mr Schwarzenegger said he had signed the emergency order so that the clean-up operation could progress "without wasting a minute of time". |
| Several beaches have had to be closed because of oil pollution | Several beaches have had to be closed because of oil pollution |
| The spill is reportedly the largest to affect the San Francisco Bay area since 10,000 gallons of fuel leaked from a ship undergoing repairs in 1996. | The spill is reportedly the largest to affect the San Francisco Bay area since 10,000 gallons of fuel leaked from a ship undergoing repairs in 1996. |
| The BBC's Peter Bowes in California says the former prison island of Alcatraz is surrounded by a film of oil. | |
| The California department of fish and game has reported finding two dozen sea birds covered in oil and has said hundreds more may be at risk. | The California department of fish and game has reported finding two dozen sea birds covered in oil and has said hundreds more may be at risk. |
| The agency's assistant chief Steve Edinger told the AFP news agency the spill was a "very significant event". | The agency's assistant chief Steve Edinger told the AFP news agency the spill was a "very significant event". |
| No more fuel is now leaking from the Cosco-Busan container ship that caused the spill. | No more fuel is now leaking from the Cosco-Busan container ship that caused the spill. |
| The slick is relatively small compared to major oil spills such as that caused when the Exxon Valdez tanker hit a reef, releasing 11 million gallons off the Alaskan coastline in 1989. | The slick is relatively small compared to major oil spills such as that caused when the Exxon Valdez tanker hit a reef, releasing 11 million gallons off the Alaskan coastline in 1989. |
| But environmentalists fear the impact could be felt for months, even years. |