Three companies charged with negligence in Southern California oil spill
CBSN
Three companies are facing charges for their alleged roles in a California oil spill earlier this year, the Department of Justice announced in an indictment filed Wednesday. Amplify Energy Co. and two of its wholly owned subsidiaries — Beta Operating Co. LLC and San Pedro Bay Pipeline Co. — each face a misdemeanor count of negligent discharge of oil.
The charge, brought by a federal grand jury, carries a maximum penalty of up to five years of probation for each accused company, along with fines that could cost them millions of dollars.
The companies own and operate the San Pedro Bay Pipeline in Long Beach, California, that was previously used to transport crude oil from different offshore oil rigs to a processing plant. The pipeline began to leak on October 1, and officials confirmed the leak a day later after residents reported a petroleum smell in the area.
