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Brown declares emergency over Central Coast oil spill

May 21, 2015

off shore oilCalifornia Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Wednesday in response to the oil spill near Goleta that has caused about 21,000 gallons of crude to flow into the ocean.

Brown’s emergency declaration frees state funds and resources to aid the cleanup effort. Officials say as many as 105,000 gallons of oil spilled from the ruptured Santa Barbara County pipeline.

The spill has now spread across nine miles of ocean. Workers have thus far cleaned up approximately 6,000 gallons of oil.

A portion of the pipeline ruptured near Refugio State Beach in the early afternoon on Tuesday. Oil spilled into a culvert that runs under Highway 101 and then into a ditch that drains into the ocean.

Crude oil transport company Plains All American Pipeline shut down the ruptured pipeline three hours after identifying the leak. Plains All American has apologized for the spill.

Both the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office and the California Attorney General’s Office are investigating the spill and could pursue criminal prosecution or a civil fine. Federal regulators are also investigating the leak.

There are no clear estimates as to when the cleanup will conclude.


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It is estimated that upwards of 10,000 gallons seep out EVERY DAY in the channel, leaving tar on the beaches, and staining boat hulls from Gaviota to Long Beach.


Since the 1969 pipeline break, at least 1 billion barrels of oil has been pumped out of the channel, while about 850 (not counting this accident) barrels have spilled in the same time period (that equals 4 days of natural seepage).


So, all you so-called environmentalists? Just shut up about things you don’t want to know.


The first explorers to find the channel, commented about the colorful sheen on the water, and the stench in the air. Local natives used the tar for fires, and it wasn’t unusual to catch the beach sand on fire, because of the oil soaked in.


Pumping has reduced the amount of natural spillage to a minimum.


It wasn’t all that long ago…when we were fighting Nazis…that the Goleta and Gaviota hills were covered in hundreds of pump derricks, and spilled oil flowed freely across the hills to the beaches.


This spill, had it happened 80 years ago, wouldn’t even be noticed.


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Since 2006, the U.S Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration ( government ) reports that Plains All American Pipeline Co. has had over 175 safety and maintenance violations. This is 3 times the national average for similar businesses, with only four companies having worse records.

For these infractions, Plains All American paid $115,600 in fines, while the damages amounted to over $23 million !

In 2014, Plains All American did $43 BILLION in business while having over $850 million in profits.


They are negligent grifters STEALING from the American taxpayer, getting by on the heap with how they conduct business and paying for their mistakes with the change they find in the sofa.

They SHOULD be fined triple damages for the harm they cause, and executives should spend considerable time in prison.


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