How did the oil get there?

Texas Rep. Joe Barton asked energy secretary Steven Chu one simple question recently: How did all that oil get to Alaska?

Chu couldn’t hold back laughter at first. I guess it struck him as a funny question. I’m not sure where Barton was coming from with the question. Does he really not know or was he working toward making some point? He seemed to know that oil formed from vegetation found in a tropical climate, so how did it get to Alaska?

Chu gave a brief description of continental drift, so Barton left with the conclusion that the oil drifted there. An odd exchange.