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Criminal and civil investigations have reportedly been launched after an oil spill off the coast of Huntington Beach, Calif., Sent up to 144,000 gallons of heavy crude into the ocean over the weekend.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer had said investigators were looking to see if charges could be laid for the spill – even though the leak had occurred in waters supervised by the U.S. government – and d Other officials said additional potential criminal investigations were underway by the Department of Justice, the US Coast Guard and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
CALIFORNIA OIL SPILL MAKES RESIDENTS QUESTION THE RESPONSE TIME OF AUTHORITIES
A state spokesperson told USA Today on Monday evening that numerous government investigations into the spill and the circumstances leading up to it are ongoing.
“Full federal and state criminal and civil investigations into the spill are underway,” said Eric Laughlin, spokesperson for the oil spill prevention division of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Orange County on Monday to support emergency spill response.
“The state is preparing to cut red tape and mobilize all available resources to protect public health and the environment,” he said in a statement. “As California continues to lead the nation in phasing out fossil fuels and addressing the climate crisis, this incident is a reminder of the enormous cost of fossil fuels to our communities and the environment.”
The governor’s office said the state has deployed staff from the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife’s spill prevention and response office and the governor’s emergency services office to command of the incident, in coordination with the US Coast Guard, local agencies and responsible parties.
Staff from California State Parks, California Volunteers, California State Lands Commission, CAL FIRE, and the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, among others, are also on the ground.
Coast Guard officials said Monday that investigators were investigating whether a ship’s anchor may have struck a pipeline on the ocean floor.
An aerial photo shows floating barriers known as booms in an attempt to stop a new incursion into the Talbert Wetlands Marsh after an oil spill in Huntington Beach, Calif., In Huntington Beach, Calif. On Monday, October 4 2021.
(AP Photo / Ringo HW Chiu)
Freighters pass through the area frequently and backlogs have plagued ports in recent months.
Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Jeannie Shaye told reporters the agency was not made aware of the spill until early Saturday, although records show its dangerous spill response hotline received the first report of a possible oil spill on Friday evening. .
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TRYING TO CONTAIN LARGEST OIL SPILL IN RECENT HISTORY, BEACHES COULD BE CLOSED FOR MONTHS
Amplify Energy Corp., the company operating three offshore platforms and the pipeline, first reported the spill to the Coast Guard at 8:55 a.m. PT on Saturday.
A staff of California Department Fish &; Wildlife examines a sanderling contaminated by the oil spill in Huntington Beach, Calif. On Monday, October 4, 2021.
(AP Photo / Ringo HW Chiu)
Amplify Energy CEO Martyn Willsher said company divers were inspecting the area of the suspected leak and expected a clearer picture of the cause of the damage by Tuesday.
Willsher also said that an anchor from a freighter hitting the pipeline is “one of the distinct possibilities.”
The pipeline was supposed to be monitored by an automated leak detection system that would report any problems to a control room, but smaller leaks are expected to take longer to detect, according to a 2016 spill response plan for Amplify platforms submitted to federal regulators.
A seagull eats a dead fish after an oil spill in Huntington Beach, Calif. On Monday, October 4, 2021.
(AP Photo / Ringo HW Chiu)
Willsher said agencies were notified “instantly” when his company admitted the hose was leaking – although records show the spill was reported by Witt O’Brien’s crisis and emergency management firm, who has been listed as a point of contact with NRC.
Federal and state authorities require prompt reporting of a spill.
Although the report says the leaking pipe had been closed, containment of the oil has not been confirmed.
Authorities told NBC’s “Today” show that about 3% of the oil has been captured so far.
Annual reports to regulators in 2019 and 2020 found that inspections revealed nothing inside or outside the pipeline in need of repair.
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While it is still too early to determine the impact on the surrounding environment, the number of injured animals has been minimal. The beaches could be closed for weeks and the inshore fishery is closed to commercial and recreational fishing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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