A survey of gas statons by the AAA found that prices remained steady, even on the West Coast. Meanwhile, the cutoff in supplies might not be as large as originally feared. Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman said it was possible that the western half of Prudhoe Bay could keep operating, though the eastern half would probably have to be shut down because of corrosion problems in feeder pipelines. (Expect this story to take several twists and turns before they can figure out what's going on.)

*Update: The Financial Times is reporting that BP executives were told of widespread corrosion at the Alaska field two years ago. Chuck Hamel, an advocate for BP workers in Alaska, took the charges to Walter E. Massey, chairman of the environment committee of BP's non-executive board. Obviously, the response was less than swift.