Crews Still Working to Clean Santa Barbara Oil Spill
[Creative Commons photo by Russian Doors/Marine Photobank]
Cleanup crews are working to mop up an oil spill off of the Santa Barbara coastline of over 1,100 gallons. The 27 barrel spill occurred at Platform A, the site of a disastrous 1969 spill which killed thousands of sea birds and covered hundreds of miles. The Department of Fish and Wildlife is still doing checks and flyovers to look for injured wildlife, especially sea birds.
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Carol Singleton, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Fish and Game’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, said that sometimes injured birds are not found until they wash ashore dead or dying. The oil makes them unable to keep warm. That means it might be some time before we know the full extent of the damage.
Santa Barbara Assemblyman Pedro Nava said:
This spill is another reminder that the calls for increased drilling in our coastal waters are short-sighted and unnecessary. There is no need for more coastal drilling. We must do everything necessary to prevent a larger catastrophe in the future.
The spill was initially reported as an accidental 33-gallon discharge, and the cause of the pump line leak is still under investigation. California Representative Lois Capps called the incident, “yet another painful reminder that drilling for oil is a dirty and dangerous business.” I have to say that I fully agree.
