Page 7 - RDA

A6 U.S. NEWS
Friday 20 april 2018

Evidence of an oil spill was obvious, but was it a crime?

the hemorrhaging line af-
ter it had shut down, which
only made matters worse,
inspectors found.
Estimates of the spill by
Plains reached as much as
142,000 gallons (537,000 li-
ters). In a final investigation
report, federal regulators
put the figure at 123,000
gallons (465,000 liters).
Prosecutors have listed the
figure at 140,000 gallons
(530,000 liters).
The spill, two weeks shy
of Memorial Day, closed
beaches with popular
campgrounds for two
months and put a crimp in
the local tourist economy
and fishing industry.
It also crippled the local oil
business because the pipe-
line was used to transport
crude to refineries from
seven offshore rigs, includ-
In this May 21, 2015, file photo, an oil-covered bird flaps its wings amid at Refugio State Beach, north of Goleta, Calif. ing three owned by Exxon
Associated Press Mobil, that have been idle
since the spill.
By BRIAN MELLEY broke any laws. months. Co. agreed to a $4 million Last year, Denver-based
Associated Press Plains All American Pipe- Two-thirds of the original settlement with Los Angeles Venoco, declared bank-
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An ac- line, based in Houston, is 46 counts, mostly misde- prosecutors after pleading ruptcy, in part because
rid stink of petroleum sent charged with three felonies meanors charging animal no contest to a single mis- it wasn't able to operate
Santa Barbara County fire- for spilling oil on land and in deaths, have been dis- demeanor of failing to no- its platform. The state is
fighters scrambling three state and federal waters, missed against the compa- tify state authorities about now responsible for plug-
years ago in a search of along with a dozen misde- ny. Charges were dropped is massive natural gas well ging and decommissioning
a possible spill. When they meanors, including viola- against a Plains employee blowout in Aliso Canyon in Veneco's wells at an esti-
arrived at Refugio State tions of fish and game laws accused of failing to report October 2015. mated cost of $58 million.
Beach, oil was staining the for killing sea lions, pelicans, the spill quickly enough — a The Plains spill occurred That doesn't include the
pristine sands and seeping a loon and a dolphin. misdemeanor the compa- when a severely corroded eventual cost to remove
into the surf. Uphill they dis- Plains apologized for the ny still faces for not calling pipe ruptured several miles the enormous structure.
covered oil gushing like a spill and paid cleanup a federal response center inland from the beach, fed- Plains faces a federal class-
fire hose "without a nozzle." costs. But it has insisted the within an hour of discover- eral inspectors found. action lawsuit by fishing
It would turn out to be the spill was an accident and ing the spill. The Pipeline and Hazardous boat operators, the petro-
worst California coastal not a crime. By the time employee Materials Safety Adminis- leum industry and oil work-
spill in 25 years, spreading In addition to pleading not James Buchanan phoned tration cited a number of ers who lost jobs because
a shimmering sheen out to guilty, the company put out the center, it had known preventable errors by the of the spill; and owners of
sea that eventually depos- a statement when charges about the spill for more company, finding it failed beachfront properties.
ited tar balls on beaches were filed two years ago than two hours from anoth- to prevent corrosion, didn't In its 2017 annual report,
more than 100 miles (160 blaming the state attorney er report and had already initially detect the rupture Plains estimated costs from
kilometers) away. general and Santa Barbara activated a cleanup re- and responded too slowly the spill at $335 million. That
But were they looking at a district attorney for inap- sponse. as oil flowed toward the doesn't include lost reve-
crime scene? propriately attempting to Because the compa- ocean. nues. It is seeking approval
Jurors being selected Thurs- "criminalize an unfortunate ny, and not a person, is Plains operators working to repair or rebuild its cor-
day in Santa Barbara Coun- accident." charged, Plains would only from a Texas control room roded pipelines.
ty Superior Court will deter- A Plains spokeswoman this face fines if convicted. It more than 1,000 miles The company still faces
mine if the company that week said the company wasn't clear how steep (1,609 kilometers) away possible fines from the U.S.
operated the pipeline that doesn't discuss pending those penalties could be. had turned off an alarm government for regulatory
ruptured, spilling at least legal matters. Prosecutors For an unrelated incident that would have signaled lapses and the spill remains
123,000 gallons (465,000 li- also refused to comment five months after the spill, a leak and, unaware a spill under investigation by fed-
ters) of crude May 19, 2015, on the trial that could take the Southern California Gas had occurred, restarted eral prosecutors.q