'Substantial' Oil Spill Reported off Scottish Coast

Phew! We were worried we weren't going to get an environmental disaster this summer. Thanks, Shell!

Between the terror attacks, Arab uprising, credit crises, tabloid scandals, and British rioting, we've hardly had time to worry about the environment, but thanks to a massive oil spill emanating from an oil rig in the North Sea, we can cross that one off the list. The British government (which has just had a terrible summer, all around) says a Royal Dutch Shell oil rig has spilled hundreds of tons (not barrels, tons!) of oil into the North Sea off the Scottish coast. Officials are rushing to say that the Gannett Alpha platform's mishap isn't as bad as the BP oil spill from last summer, although that's kind of like saying Fukushima isn't as bad as Chernobyl. The government says it anticipates the oil will dissipate naturally and won't reach any shores, but it does admit the spill is “substantial.”