Aging equipment, spills test ties between oil, California
ABC News
California's uneasy relationship with the oil industry is being tested again by the latest spill to foul beaches and kill birds and fish off Orange County
LOS ANGELES -- Hoping to recover a lost anchor chain, a work boat dragged a grappling hook along the seabed near an oil platform off the Southern California coast. But it hooked something else -- a pipeline carrying crude oil from the towering rig to shore.
Once snagged, the 197-foot (60-meter) boat dragged the pipeline until it snapped on one of the drilling platform’s legs. The gushing oil created a slick that ran for miles along the Ventura County coast northwest of Los Angeles.
The May 1991 accident provides a snapshot of the environmental dangers and trade-offs that come with the network of oil platforms and pipelines off Southern California’s world-famous coastline. The uneasy relationship is being tested again after a leaking undersea pipeline off Huntington Beach fouled beaches and killed seabirds and fish this month.
In the latest case, investigators believe it's likely a cargo ship's massive anchor struck and dragged the 16-inch (41- centimeter) pipeline up to a year ago. It's suspected the damage led to the pipeline cracking and spilling about 25,000 gallons (94,635 liters) of crude.
