Due to the 400,000 barrel a day Prudhoe Bay Field oil loss, Saudi Arabia and Mexico have pledged to supplement any shortage in the US.
The Energy Department stated that BP's oil field shutdown for corrosion maintenance might not be functional until January.
White House spokesman Tony Snow said that no refineries have reported shortages yet and in the event that there are any, the governement is willing to tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and take up Mexico and Saudi Arabia on their offer.
When accused by Democartic Senator Charles Schumer of a lack of oversight, Snow stated that the discovery ofcorrosion was owing to the inspection rules laid down by the Bush administration.
A team of government investigators is assisting BP in assessing the situation.
When asked if Bush was concerned about the impact on prices, Snow said that the root cause needs to be addressed which is this case is to have the pipelines working in a way that is environmentally sound.
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