Oil Spill Creeps South, Calls To Ban Offshore Drilling Intensify

HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA — As response units continued cleanup efforts along a shuttered stretch of coastline Wednesday, heavy crude continued to creep south with the ocean currents following one of the largest oil spills in Southland history.

The maximum amount of spill has been publicly estimated at 144,000 gallons, according to Amplify Energy Corp. Still, five days into the disaster, an ominous cloud of uncertainty hung in the air along with the petroleum smell. Officials have yet to determine the number of factors that will plague Orange County in the coming days, weeks and months, from potential ecological impacts, harm to wildlife, and reopening beaches.

"The biggest thing is the uncertainty," Coast Guard Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier told Patch.

He said the oil was still moving south, but it remains unknown whether the oil would eventually reach San Diego.

"It's going to depend on a multitude of factors, such as tidal currents, wind, rain — any sort of surf storm surge that may occur," he said. "That's why we're surveying it still with over-flight, vessels on the water and satellite imagery."

Stohmaier could not confirm the farthest point south that the oil had reached. Still, Newport Beach declared a local emergency Wednesday in response to the emergence of black and sticky tarballs, an oily sheen over the water. City officials urged residents to avoid contact with the ocean and oiled areas of the beach on Wednesday.

READ MORE: Newport Beach Prepares For State Of Emergency

Storms earlier in the week may also have helped disperse the oil. More showers are expected to hit the region on Thursday and into Friday. Stohlmaier previously said the erratic weather could make it more challenging to skim the crude as it spreads out.

The U.S. Coast Guard announced Tuesday that they are handling the oil spill incident as a maximum worst-case discharge scenario.

In Huntington Beach, the water and shoreline were still closed, but people were allowed on the sand. Beachgoers played volleyball on the Huntington Beach sand Wednesday morning as walkers and bikers passed near the city's famed pier. A few globs of oil were visible along the shoreline, but a smell no longer lingered.

"There are still many beaches that are closed. We're serving those areas," Stohlmaier said.

As officials raised public safety concerns this week, Stohmaier urged that authorities were constantly testing the water and air quality. So far, the air quality has remained safe. He told Patch.

If the air quality happens to fall into an unhealthy reading, Stohlmaier urged that an immediate notification would go out.

"I know there's some people that are saying there's a smell at areas that are slightly offshore or when the wind blows a certain direction — but all of the reports that come back have as good air quality," he said.

The spill's overall impact on wildlife was also yet to be determined.

On Wednesday, officials said 13 oiled live birds and two dead birds have been recovered so far, with four oiled snowy plovers, an endangered species, recovered as well. According to the veterinarian reported photographs, deoiling a Ruddy Duck took two days to complete.

Investigators have said the spill might have been caused by a ship's anchor that hooked, dragged and tore open the underwater pipeline operated by Amplify. But the anchor is just one possibility, Stohlmaier told Patch.

"They're still looking at a cause of maybe too much pressure. The pipeline could have been old, frozen — anything," he said. "An anchor is just one of the plausible causes of this."

Meanwhile, at a news conference in Huntington Beach Wednesday, Amplify Energy CEO Martyn Willshire faced a barrage of questions about whether Amplify reported the spill in time. Federal officials determined this week that Amplify did not quickly shut down operations after a safety system alerted to a possible spill.

Willshire denied these accusations during the conference, maintaining that Amplify reported the spill as quickly as possible after the company learned of the leak.

At a certain point, Willshire walked away from a reporter's question during Wednesday's news conference, leaving an empty podium at his back.

Ever since the devastating 1969 Santa Barbara spill that spurred today's environmental movement, the Golden State has become a role model for restricting offshore oil drilling. But this week's ecological disaster has reignited arguments over whether the state should do away with such drilling altogether.

But that's easier said than done.

The state hasn't issued a new lease for another platform in state water in five decades but drilling from existing facilities continues. Similarly, an effort in Congress that aims to halt new drilling in federal waters — more than 3 miles off the coast — wouldn't stop drilling that's already happening.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday during a visit to Orange County that it's easier to resist new drilling than to wind down what already exists.

"Banning new drilling is not complicated," Newsom told reporters. "The deeper question is how do you transition and still protect the workforce?"

He urged a new sense of urgency to curb oil production, including by issuing more permits for well abandonment.

"It's time, once and for all, to disabuse ourselves that this has to be part of our future. This is part of our past," he said.

Newsom declared a state of emergency in Orange County this week following the spill.

SEE ALSO: Huntington Beach High Could Change Their Mascot "Oil Man" After Orange County's Oil Spill.

The oil stretching across the Orange County coastline stems from the 17.7-miles of pipeline off Huntington Beach's Platform Elly. Along that stretch of pipe, a section was displaced roughly 150 feet, according to Ore.

Divers discovered the "slight bend" in the line. They also found a 13-inch lengthwise split in the side of the pipe, likely the source of the oil leak.

No oil is currently spilling from the line, which was cleared, according to Willshire in the Tuesday conference. Though he declared an anchor from one of the many cargo ships offshore the cause one day prior and mentioned the line was "drawn back like a bow," Willshire stopped short of making that same declaration Tuesday.

"This is a terrible tragedy and we are so sorry this happened," Willshire said on Tuesday.

Early reports indicate that it took more than 12 hours for authorities to respond to the seeping crude and launch a cleanup effort.

The reports also raised questions about the Coast Guard's response time and whether Amplify Energy — the company that operates the pipeline operation in question and three offshore platforms — notified authorities of its compromised pipeline in time.

The leak sent as much as 144,000 gallons of crude oil spewing into waters off the coast of northern Orange County, though Seal Beach was spared from the spill.

READ MORE: A Rare Ecological Gem: Marshes Slicked With Spilled Oil — Again

The timeline of events is undergoing heavy scrutiny as the marathon of cleanup continues.

Reports say that the crew from a ship anchored off the coast reported seeing an oily sheen on the ocean's surface Friday evening.

The Coast Guard followed their reporting process and confirmed that the reporting ship was not involved in the spill.

According to reports from the California Office of Emergency Services, six hours later, a federal agency identified a possible oil slick through satellite imagery.

Despite these early indications and reports of a gas smell from residents, authorities told the public of the spill Saturday.

From Original Report To Oil Spill Discovery...

Federal authorities require oil companies to report a spill immediately or possibly face criminal prosecution.

In 2019, a judge fined Plains All American Pipeline $3.35 million for its 2015 spill at Refugio, near Santa Barbara, CalMatters reported.

On Monday, criminal investigators with the U.S. Coast Guard were looking into the cause of the spill and whether the company failed to notice pressure anomalies in the pipeline as early as Friday when the oil sheen was first observed.

The investigation is being handled as a "potential negligence case," federal authorities told the Los Angeles Times.

The Office of Spill Prevention and Response with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife received a report of an "observed sheen in federal waters several miles off the coast of Huntington Beach" Friday at 10:22 p.m., according to the Times.

Approximately 10 hours later, Amplify Energy officially reported the leak.

Since the oil spill was reported Saturday, Amplify Energy has sent remotely operated underwater robot vehicles with cameras to investigate the pipeline. The cameras have looked at 8,000 feet of pipe since Monday when they found the area of interest, Amplify Energy CEO Martyn Willsher said in a news conference.

An automated leak detection system was supposed to trigger an alarm for instances in which a change in the flow of oil is reported. The system was supposed to report any issues to a control room.

The system has the potential to warn that a break in the pipeline could cause "substantial harm to the environment" and, in a worst-case scenario, release 131,000 gallons of crude oil.

Willsher said required agencies were notified "instantly" when the company recognized the leak was from its pipe. But records reviewed by The Associated Press showed that Amplify Energy did not report the spill. Rather, it was reported by Witt O'Brien's, a crisis and emergency management firm listed on the spill response plan as the point of contact to notify authorities.

The compromised 17.5-mile pipeline was suctioned out to stop the spill, but crews were still being deployed by sea and land to clean up the toxic oil and save oiled animals from the crude oil. The sticky matter continued to wash up onshore along a shuttered stretch of popular coastline between Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, and Laguna Beach which according to Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley could remain closed for weeks or even months.

The Coast Guard led the response to the spill, which covered about 5.8 nautical miles of shoreline.

The White House was reportedly "monitoring the oil spill," press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday. The administration of President Joe Biden was working with California and local partners to mitigate the ecological damage from the spill, assess the devastation and investigate potential causes.

Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr described the spill as a "potential ecologic disaster" over the weekend.

READ MORE: CA Oil Spill: How To Help OC's Marine Wildlife After Disaster

On Friday evening, Rick Torgerson, the owner of Blue Star Yacht Charter, said locals asked him, "Do you smell that?" alluding to a scent reminiscent of exhaust and gasoline, which still permeates the area.

By Saturday morning, boats were reentering the marina with their hulls slick with crude oil, he told The Associated Press.

A History of Environmental Violations, Citations...

Amplify announced Monday that they shut down the leaky pipeline and the three oil platforms it serves. Operations at the Beta Field, where the platforms are located, were also stopped.

According to regulatory records, the facility has been cited 72 times for safety and environmental violations that were severe enough to curtail or stop drilling to fix the problem.

The last "smart pig" inspection on the pipeline was done in 2019, according to Willsher. A smart pig inspection entails a camera that flows along with the oil, traveling inside the pipeline to assess any potential internal damage.

"Whatever needs to be done, regardless of cost, we will take care of it," Willsher said Tuesday. The money to clean up the oil spill will come from the company's "significant insurance" and other funds on hand, Willsher said.

Following The Flow Of Oil, Wildlife Impacts...

The spill has been moving south, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. This is due to natural factors, including winds and coastal currents.

Residents, business owners and environmentalists questioned Monday whether authorities responded to the slick in time to contain the disastrous spill.

"By the time it comes to the beach, it's done tremendous damage. Our frustration is, it could have been averted if there was a quick response," said Gary Brown, a Huntington Beach resident and president of the environmental group Orange County Coastkeeper.

This incident brings to mind an environmental crisis from decades earlier, when the spill killed an estimated 3,400 birds after the American Trader oil tanker ran over its anchor and punctured its hull on Feb. 7, 1990, spilling an estimated 416,600 gallons of crude oil off the coast of Huntington Beach.

The Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center was established due to that spill to help injured and orphaned wildlife, including oil-soiled birds. It treated birds injured in the 1990 spill, according to the center's website. What began as a makeshift facility has evolved into the center that exists today.

It's too early to determine the spill's total impact on the environment this week, but the number of animals found harmed is minimal so far. As of Monday morning, officials collected and treated at least four birds that were oiled. One of them, a brown pelican, had to be euthanized because of "chronic injuries," according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

"There are significant ecological impacts in Huntington Beach. Oil has washed up now onto the Huntington beachfront. We've started to find dead birds and fish washing up on the shore," Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley tweeted at 12:48 a.m. She added that the damage from the spill could be irreversible, calling the beaches and marshlands "part of our heritage" that draw countless people to the shore.

The spill also affected protected wetlands. Chunks of oil reportedly seeped into the Talbert Marsh, a 25-acre ecological reserve for marine life.

"Our wetlands are being degraded, and portions of our coastline are completely covered in oil," Mayor Carr said Sunday.

Damage to the reserve was curbed Sunday as workers closed the tidal inlet with sand berms, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Skimming equipment and booms were deployed to prevent the flow of oil into the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve and Huntington Beach Wetlands, although officials said wildlife was already being affected.

Functioning wetlands — Talbert, Brookhurst and Magnolia — were affected by the spill, officials said. Some of the areas affected by the spill are home to threatened and endangered species, including a plump shorebird called the snowy plover, the California least tern and humpback whale.

What's Closed?

The spill prompted the closure of popular beaches from Seapoint Street in Huntington Beach to the Santa Ana River.

Laguna Beach closed all of its beaches Sunday evening as the oil neared its shoreline. Newport Beach Harbor was also closed to allow better access for vessels working cleanup of the spill.

Huntington Beach's mayor says the closures could last anywhere "from a few weeks to a few months."

On Tuesday, Dana Point Harbor was closed, and boaters were advised to use Huntington Beach Harbor or Long Beach's harbor. Baby Beach in Dana Point was also closed. County beaches in Dana Point — Salt Creek Beach and Strands Beach — were closed as well. Capistrano Beach and Poche Beach were both closed due to construction.

Newport Harbor was still closed to vessel traffic Tuesday in an attempt to keep oil from entering the harbor, Newport Beach officials said. Beaches will remain open with water advisories in place, the city said. The spill did not affect Long Beach's beaches and swimming areas since currents were pulling south from Huntington Beach, city officials said.

Health officials warned people not to swim, surf or exercise by the affected beaches in Orange County because of potential health hazards. People were also urged not to fish in the area as the waters are considered toxic.

"Unfortunately, the size and potential impact of this oil spill make it necessary for people to stay out of the water and avoid contact with the oil," Newport Beach Mayor Brad Avery said in a statement. "The City's top priority is to ensure the safety of our residents and visitors during the cleanup effort."

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife warned of a "threat to public health" from consuming any fish or shellfish taken from near the shoreline from Huntington Beach to about 20 miles south of Dana Point.

Read More About The Southland Oil Spill:

• CA Oil Spill: How To Help OC's Marine Wildlife After Disaster
• Huntington Beach Closed Due To 'Disastrous' 126K Oil Spill
• Orange County Oil Spill: Photos As Cleanup Ensues
• Orange County Oil Spill: Seal Beach Spared From Damage
• Orange County Beaches Closed Due To 'Disastrous' 126K Oil Spill
• Newport Beach Harbor Closed Due To 'Disastrous' 126K Oil Spill
• Laguna Beaches Close Due To Massive Oil Spill In Orange County
• Orange County Oil Spill: Seal Beach Spared From Damage
• Dana Point Closes Beaches, Harbor Due To Oil Spill
• Orange County Beaches Closed Due To 'Disastrous' 126K Oil Spill

The Associated Press, City News Service and Patch staffers Ashley Ludwig, Miranda Ceja and Paige Austin contributed to this report.