The Pacific Airshow was cut short last week to thousands of attendees in Huntington Beach, California after a report was confirmed October 2 of an oil spill five miles off the coast. The report was made a day after the alleged time of the leak, prompting controversy over the Houston based company’s slow reaction time. The offshore pipeline located deep underwater in between Catalina Island and Orange County is owned by Amplify Energy, who use the pipeline to shuttle crude oil from offshore platforms to the coast.
The exact cause of the oil spill is still under investigation. But officials have reported they believe the damage to the pipeline was likely caused by a ship’s anchor possibly months before the time of rupture. The roughly thirteen inch crack in the pipeline has caused untold damage to the marine life and business owners off the Southern California coast ranging from the beaches of Orange County to as far south as Mission Beach in San Diego.
Clean up assessment teams have been deployed in Orange and San Diego County and can be seen in white hazmat suits combing the beach for black tar. Officials report that the estimated amount of oil spilled into the ocean ranges anywhere from 24,700 to 144,000 gallons, although USCG Captain Rebecca Ore is confident that the number is on the smaller end of the scale. Even if that were true Unified Command reported that to date only 5,000 gallons of crude oil has been recovered by vessel, 13.5 barrels of tar balls, 232,500 pounds of oily debris recovered from the shoreline, and 11,400 feet of containment boom has been deployed. The Associated Press reported that another Coast Guard dubbed the California oil spill a, “major marine casualty”.
The California oil spill has been detrimental not only to the marine life, but the coastal businesses that depend on a healthy marine ecosystem to attract tourists. Dead marine life being washed ashore and beach closures in affect in most of Orange County has forced some coastal businesses to close their doors. These businesses affected by the oil spill, some of which include surf lessons and whale watching cruises, recently filed a class action lawsuit against the owner of the ruptured pipeline, Amplified Energy. The Houston based company is being accused of failing to safely maintain the pipeline and promptly respond to the disaster.
With a community just beginning to recover from the loss of tourism brought about by the pandemic, the most recent oil spill poses another obstacle to California’s “ocean economy”.
This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group Blog. If you are in need of legal help, the CIMA Law Group is a law firm in Phoenix, Arizona which possesses expertise in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Inquiry, and Government Relations.
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