Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Robert Martin told an Assembly panel that oil would not reach the Jersey Shore until October or November, in the unlikely event that it touches the area at all.

Last month, the DEP formed a gulf spill team to monitor the potential effect on the region of the oil rig explosion on April 20 that has unleashed millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. But Martin told the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee that a series of unlikely events would have to occur for the oil to reach New Jersey, which has at stake $38 billion tourism and $2 billion seafood industries.

Factors that would increase the likelihood of New Jersey's being affected include nearby waters becoming dramatically warmer; alternately, hurricanes could push oil in the state's direction, he noted.

Read the complete story at The Philadelphia Inquirer.