An oil sheen spotted off Huntington Beach served as a potent reminder of how long it will take to untangle the legal, regulatory and environmental fallout of an October pipeline spill that released an estimated 25,000 gallons of crude into the ocean.
An oil sheen spotted off Huntington Beach this weekend served as a potent reminder of how long it will take Southern California to untangle the legal, regulatory and environmental fallout of an October pipeline spill that released an estimated 25,000 gallons of crude into the ocean.
If Amplify Energy, the Texas-based company that operated the pipeline, was responsible for the weekend’s release of the oil, there may be repercussions, said Ted Borrego, an oil and gas lawyer with 50 years of experience in the industry and adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center.“If it is a repeat problem which is caused by a company, then fines are in order,” Borrego said in an email, adding that authorities could take other steps depending on the circumstances.
Carter has ordered a mid-December hearing at the Santa Ana federal courthouse, where lawyers could lobby to head up the litigation. He said he would lean toward selecting one or more firms with “long-standing” connections to Orange County and Los Angeles, experience with class-action litigation, and knowledge of bankruptcy and environmental law.
The October spill had a significant negative impact on the natural environment, despite the fact that the estimated amount of oil released was about one-fifth of what was initially reported. The UC Davis Oiled Wildlife Care Network saidthat it had recovered 82 dead birds, six dead mammals, and dozens of living mammals in the aftermath of the spill. The dead animals included a bottlenose dolphin, three California sea lions and a wide array of birds: cormorants, coots, pigeons, grebes and more.
Stephen Schork, a longtime energy markets analyst and advisor, said he worries that rapid divestment from fossil fuel infrastructure like Southern California’s aging platforms has increased the likelihood of oil spills by smaller operators like Amplify, which don’t have the resources international energy conglomerates have to prevent such incidents and compensate affected communities once they occur.
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