"Crews Race To Limit Damage From Major California Oil Spill"

"HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — Crews on the water and on shore worked feverishly Sunday to limit environmental damage from one of the largest oil spills in recent California history, caused by a suspected leak in an underwater pipeline that fouled the sands of famed Huntington Beach and could keep the beaches there closed for weeks or longer.

Booms were deployed on the ocean surface to try to contain the oil while divers sought to determine where and why the leak occurred. On land, there was a race to find animals harmed by the oil and to keep the spill from harming any more sensitive marshland.

An estimated 126,000 gallons (572,807 liters) of heavy crude leaked into the waters off Orange County starting late Friday or early Saturday, when boaters began reporting a sheen in the water, officials said. The pipeline and operations at three off-shore platforms owned by Houston-based Amplify Energy Corp. were shut down Saturday night, CEO Martyn Willsher said."

Amy Taxin and Christopher Weber report for the Associate Press September 4, 2021.

SEE ALSO:

"Huge Ecological Losses Feared As Orange County Oil Spill Hits Wetlands, Marshes" (Los Angeles Times)

"Orange County Beaches Closed After Oil Spill Off California Coast Destroys Wildlife Habitat" (CNN)

"What Caused The Massive Oil Spill Off Huntington Beach? Here Is What We Know" (Los Angeles Times)

"Before O.C. Oil Spill, Platform Owner Faced Bankruptcy, History Of Regulatory Problems" (Los Angeles Times)

"Full Coverage: What To Know About The Huntington Beach Oil Spill" (Los Angeles Times)

"‘There’s Tar Everywhere’: Large California Oil Spill Fouls Beaches And Kills Wildlife" (Guardian)

"Response Time Questioned In Southern California Oil Spill" (AP)

"Oil Spill Laps At “Heartbeat” Of California Beach Community" (AP)

"A Massive Oil Spill In The Pacific Ocean Has Reached The Southern California Coast" (NPR)

"Oil Spill Threatens Southern California Wildlife And Closes Beaches As Coast Guard Investigates" (Washington Post)

"'Catastrophic' California Oil Spill Kills Fish, Damages Wetlands" (Reuters)

Source: AP, 10/04/2021