Cry grows to stop new oil production in Santa Barbara County
The Refugio oil spill cleanup will keep area beaches closed at least until June 4, the number of wildlife affected continues to grow, Canada de Alegria to Coal Oil Point fisheries are off limits and a geyser of negative national media attention has tarnished the region’s pristine reputation. The spill, which was the result of Read More →
Bigger fines needed to hold oil pipe owners accountable
It’s a case of business as usual for Plains All American Pipeline, which owns the pipe that ruptured near Goleta on May 19 and spilled an estimated 101,000 gallons of oil. About 21,000 gallons of oil flowed through a storm culvert under Highway 101 into the ocean, blackening area beaches and creating a 10-square-mile oil Read More →
Fines, cleanup costs climbing for owner of oil pipe that leaked
The pipeline leak that released more than 21,000 gallons of oil into the ocean and soiled 9 miles of Santa Barbara coastline on May 19 will likely result in a $200,000 fine from federal regulators and potentially millions of dollars in cleanup costs and environmental penalties for the pipeline’s operator, Houston-based Plains Pipeline. An investigation Read More →
Boxer, Feinstein, Markey demand answers over SB County oil spill
U.S. Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-CA, Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, and Edward J. Markey, D-MA, on May 28 sent a letter to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration calling for more information about the rupture of a pipeline The senators wrote, “Following one of the most devastating oil spills in California history, we need answers about Read More →
Oil pipeline owners may face more than fines for Santa Barbara County spill
California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris on Friday said her office is actively working with the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s office and state and federal agencies to investigate the incident.
Oil firm floundering amid depressed price environment
North American Oil & Gas Corp., a small-time oil and gas company based in Ventura, is barely staying afloat. Since the company’s formation in 2010, NAMG hasn’t produced any revenue and sold it’s only drilled well to a Colorado-based company for a 0.5 percent royalty of any commercial production. However, according to the company’s recent Read More →
Refugio oil spill raises important questions for South Coast
The estimated 105,000-gallon oil spill that will ruin Memorial Day for thousands of visitors to Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County is a reminder of how much environmental issues have become economic stories. Santa Barbara County is so heavily dependent on hotel-related taxes that it literally can’t afford the kind of environmental disaster that Read More →
