The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW)'s Office of Spill Prevention and Response has confirmed that no oiled wildlife have been observed or reported — and no oil has reached the ocean or other water from the June 23 pipeline spill in Hall Canyon, Ventura.
As many as 700 barrels of crude oil — 29,400 gallons - have been spilled in the incident. The spill occurred just a year after the Refugio Oil Spill fouled the pristine waters off the San Barbara Coast, including four so-called “marine protected areas” created under the helm of an oil industry lobbyist.
“A multi-agency response has been established to manage cleanup operations in the area impacted ,” according to the CDFW in a statement. “Cleanup crews remain on-scene containing and recovering the oil. Resources include 98 responders and five vacuum trucks. Air monitoring is being continually conducted to assure safety of responders and residents in the area.”
The cause of the spill is currently under investigation. “The unified command response will be independent of that investigation and includes representatives from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Crimson Pipeline, which has taken responsibility for the incident,” the CDFW said.
The CDFW advises the public and media to avoid the impacted area and keep pets on leashes. In addition, they should not attempt to rescue any observed oiled wildlife.
“Untrained individuals who attempt to rescue wildlife may cause more harm than good and may injure themselves in the process,” the Department said.
The number to report oiled wildlife is 877 UCD-OWCN (823-6926).
Residents wishing to file a claim can do so via email at claims@crimsonpl.com or by calling 562-285-4128.
For more information, visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/...
According to information released by the Center for Biological Diversity, the company responsible for the Ventura oil spill, Crimson Pipeline, has a decade-long history of oil spills in California.
“Crimson Pipeline has had at least 10 other spills caused by corrosion, ruptures, equipment failure and other problems in California since 2006, federal data show. These incidents resulted in more than $5.8 million in property damage and over 320,000 gallons of hazardous materials being spilled into California’s environment, the Center revealed.
The Center said Crimson operates more than 1,000 miles of pipeline in California, “yet the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration does not seem to have taken any enforcement actions against the company or conducted any inspections of its pipelines in the state since 2006.”
“This company has a disturbing history of dangerous oil spills, yet federal pipeline regulators seem to have done almost nothing to protect our state,” said Kristen Monsell, a Center attorney. “The new spill is another grim example of why we have to get pipelines and oil drilling out of California’s vulnerable coastal environment. We’ve got to stop thinking about these oil spills as accidents and start seeing them for what they are: completely predictable ecological tragedies that we can prevent with strong action.”
The latest oil spill is no surprise in a state that prides itself on being a “green leader,” but is in fact the third largest oil producer in the country. The oil industry is the largest and most powerful corporate lobby in California — and the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) is the largest and most powerful lobbying organization.
Jerry Brown, who styles himself as a “green governor” and “climate leader,” has received millions of dollars in contributions from Big Oil to promote the industry's agenda.
"Before Jerry Brown signed legislation last month that promises to greatly expand fracking in California, the governor accepted at least $2.49 million in financial donations over the past several years from oil and natural gas interests, according to public records on file with the Secretary of State's Office and the California Fair Political Practices Commission," reported Robert Gammon, then editor of the East Bay Express, on October 2, 2013. (www.eastbayexpress.com/...)
Ironically, the same oil lobbyist promoting the expansion of fracking and offshore oil drilling in California served as a state regulatory official in a public-private partnership between the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the agency responsible for coordinating the clean-up of the Ventura oil spill, and the shadowy Resources Legacy Fund Foundation. (www.dfg.ca.gov/...)
In a huge conflict of interest that exemplifies how thoroughly Big Oil has captured the regulatory apparatus in California, Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA), chaired the South Coast Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force that created the alleged “marine protected areas” that went into effect in Southern California waters on January 1, 2012. She also served on the MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Forces for the North Coast, North Central Coast and Central Coast.
The questionable “Yosemites of the Sea” and “underwater parks” created under the leadership of Reheis-Boyd and others with numerous conflicts of interest fail to protect the ocean from fracking, offshore oil drilling, oil spills, pollution, military testing, corporate aquaculture, energy projects and all human impacts on the ocean other than sustainable fishing and gathering.
In response to the latest spill, Reheis-Boyd said the association is "working with our member companies to assess the situation as well as coordinating with emergency responders, local officials, and agencies."
"Our first priority – as it is in any incident – remains community safety and immediate cleanup efforts,” Reheis Boyd said. (www.wspa.org/...)
We will report on this blog about the progress of the spill clean up and investigation as more information becomes available.