What you need to know about California Oil Spill

On Monday, a significant oil leak continued to spread across Southern California’s coastal waters, blocking miles of beaches, halting the region’s leading tourist port, harming wetlands and wildlife, and raising new concerns about the safety of U.S. pipelines.

Federal and state officials launched a criminal investigation, citing a ship anchor as a suspected source of the pipeline breach. Pipeline sprayed ribbons of sheen across 13 square miles and sent clumps of oil onto the shore as oil continued to move south, Coast Guard Capt. Rebecca Ore described the situation as “complicated, dynamic, and developing”. “I know these beaches are significant not only to the residents and citizens of Southern California but too much to the rest of the country,” she said.

An accident

The spill poured up to 127,000 gallons of oil into the ocean and onto the shorelines of Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. This event highlights the complex nature of who bears responsibility for pipeline mishaps when the consequences are severe. The pipeline safety concern arises when climate opponents attempt to interfere with new projects across the United States. A group of climate and other activists, Build Back Fossil Free, plans to protest outside the White House next week. They will urge President Biden to declare a climate emergency and halt all new fossil fuel projects.

On Monday, hazmat teams picked up oil-soiled sand and deposited it in plastic bags. Others created sand barriers to prevent petroleum from leaking into surrounding wetlands. Sludge had covered portions of the Talbert marshes across from Huntington Beach.

There were a few seagulls and a great blue heron, but they seemed to be keeping their distance. In fact, only four damaged birds were located, one of them, a pelican, was euthanized. Far more are likely to wash ashore in the following days as oil coats their wings.

Third significant oil leak to hit Southern California

The United States Coast Guard shuttered Newport Harbor, Southern California’s largest recreational harbor. According to Harbormaster Paul Blank, there are 4,500 vessels that take origin there. It generates $300 million in direct revenue to the city of Newport Beach each year. According to White House spokesperson Jen Psaki since Sunday afternoon, the federal government has had 14 vessels making oil collection efforts. Four planes were despatched for overflight evaluations, and 105 government agency officials responded on the ground. A total of 3,150 gallons of oil were retrieved from the ocean, and 5,360 feet of the boom were deployed.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Eric Laughlin said the department’s office of spill prevention and the U.S. Coast Guard had launched a criminal inquiry into the accident.

At a press conference, Martyn Willsher, CEO of Amplify Energy, the platform’s owner, stated a “clear chance” that a ship anchor destroyed the pipeline. It is the third significant oil leak to hit Southern California. In Santa Barbara in 1969, the first leak captivated the country, inspiring Earth Day and a slew of new environmental regulations. While this has resulted in a reduction in new offshore drilling, corporations maintain aged fields and infrastructure.