Investigation finds oil pipeline leaked for hours

A preliminary investigation of an oil spill off Huntington Beach, Calif., found that the company running the damaged pipeline received warning about a potential spill hours before alerting the Coast Guard. Federal investigators said that an alarm went off in an Amplify Energy Corp. control room at 2:30 a.m. Saturday, warning of a possible pipeline breach. The company did not shut down the San Pedro Bay Pipeline until 6 a.m. and waited another three hours to report the spill to the Coast Guard. Amplify’s CEO, however, said earlier this week the company did not know about the spill until around 8 a.m. Saturday. A good Samaritan reported a petroleum smell and oil sheen on the water to authorities on Friday night, but the Coast Guard could not corroborate the report and did not investigate until the next morning. In the past, companies have faced criminal charges for failing to respond quickly to spill reports and failing to report spills to the Coast Guard. 

How bad is the leak? Officials said a cargo ship anchor likely snagged the pipeline and caused the leak, which dumped thousands of gallons of crude oil into the ocean. Amplify told investigators that it initially measured roughly 29,400 gallons that spilled out of the pipeline, but the company raised the estimate to 126,000 gallons in a public statement. The Coast Guard reported that ocean currents are breaking up globs of oil and spreading them farther south, complicating cleanup efforts. Area marshlands might be closed for weeks, and authorities have also banned commercial fishing in the area.

Dig deeper: From the archives, listen to Mary Reichard discuss oil spill liability on Legal Docket segment of The World and Everything in It.