Tar balls washed in by Tropical Storm Lee are amid shells on the beach at Gulf Shores, Ala., on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2011. City officials suspect the tar balls are left over from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last summer. Officials said Tuesday that they plan to test the black and brown globs to find out if they're related to last year's oil spill. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)