The State : Shell Doubles Spill Estimate

Shell Oil Co. doubled its estimate for last month’s oil spill that soiled hundreds of boats, killed 200 birds and animals and left critical wildlife habitats coated with gooey muck. Under orders from state investigators, Shell re-examined its figures and announced that about 365,000 gallons spilled during the April 23 leak of crude into environmentally sensitive Peyton Marsh. Since May 2, Shell had insisted that only 175,000 gallons leaked from the 12.5-million-gallon storage tank at its Martinez refinery after a drain hose broke. In the days after the accident, Shell said that fewer than 4,000 gallons of the particularly thick form of petroleum from the San Joaquin Valley had escaped. The newest estimate will be reviewed by independent consultants working for the state Bay Regional Water Quality Control agency. State regulators ordered the review of the spill estimate because cleanup crews appeared to be recovering far more oil than Shell had admitted leaked.