In September of 1968, just far enough outside the 3-mile limit of the Santa Barbara coast, an oil/gas drilling rig was built. There was no choice. California had regulations for off-shore drilling that exceeded what the U.S. Government had in place. For a couple of reasons. One reason was earthquakes, the other reason was earthquakes Union Oil built the A-21 rig 5 miles out from shore. In January 1969, a scant 4 months after it was built and began drilling 3500 feet down, it blew.
The day it blew, January 28th, the drilling had stopped for the well to be evaluated and a drill bit replaced. It blew due to an build up natural gas. The spill spewed and initially, the workers were able to slow the flow of oil and natural gas at the well head. Unfortunately for the Santa Barbara coastline and the wildlife, oil and gas began to boil up from the bed a few hundred feet from the oil platform. The cause was five long gashes in the ocean floor caused by the drilling. Eleven days into the spill and 200,000 barrels of oil had spewed from the up through the ocean floor.
The cause?
Union Oil's Platform A ruptured because of inadequate protective casing. The oil company had been given permission by the U.S. Geological Survey to cut corners and operate the platform with casings below federal and California standards. Investigators would later determine that more steel pipe sheating inside the drilling hole would have prevented the rupture.
source: http://www.geog.ucsb.edu/...
A second well blew February 24, almost a month after A-21 blew
The rig workers work to contain the spill, but their efforts were limited and caused more damage to the ocean floor, causing more gas and oil to leak. Due to the Pacific currents, oil contaminated several hundred square miles of the Santa Barbara Channel affecting everything it came in contact with and remaining for years in areas inaccessible to humans, including the Islands off the coast south of Santa Barbara.
The California News media was all over the story with images of oil soaked birds and seals. The state government was furious at Union Oil, as was the Congress of the United States.
It wasn't until 1981 that Congress passed a moratorium on off-shore drilling along the coast of the western and eastern seaboards, but continued to permit drilling in Alaska and the Gulf. 27 years later, the moratorium expired, California began to consider off-shore drilling once more, then the Deepwater Horizon blew.
The wildlife toll was estimated at 3600 dead birds
10 seals and dolphins and an unknown number of fish and other sea-dwelling creatures. 34,000 acres were set aside as a buffer to seaward. Dollar estimates were placed at $7.8 million in class action lawsuits for lost business and livelihoods
California's wildlife recovered.
I remember watching the disaster's cleanup of birds on tv and trying to figure out how I, a 12 year old could help.
I remember the LIFE photo of a SoCal surfer with oil-coated legs and board: http://www.life.com/...
Most of all, I remember the anger. Out of the anger Earth Day was born. GOO (Get Oil Out) was founded, which began the push for alternative fuel sources.
Source: http://www.countyofsb.org/...
Separated at birth? or a common genetic defect:
Fred L. Hartley, president of Union Oil Co.:
"I don't like to call it a disaster," because there has been no loss of human life.
"I am amazed at the publicity for the loss of a few birds."
Tony Hayward: "the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to be very, very modest." (in an interview with SKY news) May, 2010
"the Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean. The amount of volume of oil and dispersant we are putting into it is tiny in relation to the total water volume." - to the Guardian May 14