BP shuts down largest U.S. oil field.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - In what could be another blow to consumers already hard hit by high energy costs, petroleum giant BP PLC said Monday its Prudhoe Bay facilities in Alaska will be shut down for weeks or months due to damage that will require it to replace 73 percent of a pipeline from the field. The shutdown, which drove oil and gasoline prices sharply higher on energy markets, removes about 8 percent of daily U.S. crude production.