Search

$13M Settlement Reached for 2021 Oil Spill

Posted on 10/3/2022 by Roger Marks

Three parties reached settlements to resolve alleged criminal violations of the Clean Water Act resulting from a spill of about 25,000 gallons of oil from a pipeline off the California coast last year.

An energy company and two of its subsidiaries each pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of negligent oil discharge into the water. The companies will pay a $7.1 million criminal penalty and serve four years on probation. In addition, the companies will reimburse the government for $5.8 million in response costs.

While serving four years probation, the companies must:

  • Improve training for employees and management,  
  • Install a new leak detection system for pipelines,
  • Visually inspect the pipeline (underwater) twice per year,
  • Notify regulators of all leak detection alarms, and
  • Make procedural modifications at a cost of about $250,000.

Lastly, the companies must contract with an oil spill response organization that is able to detect oil on the water’s surface at night or in low-light conditions.  

What Happened?

The oil spill occurred on October 1 and 2, 2021 from a pipeline that transfers crude oil from offshore facilities to a Long Beach, CA processing plant.  

Multiple leak detection alarms sounded, leading employees to shut down the pipeline.

However, employees “repeatedly and incorrectly assessed that there was no leak,” according to the Department of Justice. Because they did not recognize the leak, employees pumped more oil through the pipeline. This caused about 588 barrels of crude oil to be discharged off the coast of Huntington Beach.

The crack in the pipeline may have been caused by a vessel operator striking and dragging the pipeline with their anchor, according to Federal transportation investigators.

$13M Settlement Reached for 2021 Oil Spill

Last Environmental Regulations Webinar of 2022

Key requirements for Clean Water Act compliance and oil spill notifications are among the topics covered during Lion’s Complete Environmental Regulations Webinar. Join a Lion instructor for the final webinar of the year on December 5—6.

The live, instructor-led webinar provides an overview of US EPA’s major air, water, and chemical programs—from the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts to EPCRA, TSCA, Superfund, and more. EH&S professionals who attend can identify the regulations that apply to their facility and locate key requirements to achieve compliance.  

Tags: Clean Water Act, environmental compliance, oil spill

Find a Post

Compliance Archives

Lion - Quotes

Our instructor was very dynamic and kept everyone's interest. Hazmat shipping can be a dry, complicated topic but I was engaged the entire time.

Kimberly Arnao

Senior Director of EH&S

This is a very informative training compared to others. It covers everything I expect to learn and even a lot of new things.

Quatama Jackson

Waste Management Professional

The instructor was very engaging and helped less experienced people understand the concepts.

Steve Gall

Safety Leader

Lion was very extensive. There was a lot of things that were covered that were actually pertaining to what I do and work with. Great Job. I will be coming back in three years!

Tony Petrik

Hazmat Shipping Professional

The course is well thought out and organized in a way that leads to a clearer understanding of the total training.

David Baily

Hazmat Shipping Professional

The online course was well thought out and organized, with good interaction between the student and the course.

Larry Ybarra

Material Release Agent

Lion courses are the standard to which all other workshops should strive for!

Brody Saleen

Registered Environmental Health Specialist

The exercises in the DOT hazardous materials management course are especially helpful in evaluating your understanding of course information.

Morgan Bliss

Principal Industrial Hygienist

The instructor was great, explaining complex topics in terms that were easily understandable and answering questions clearly and thoroughly.

Brittany Holm

Lab Supervisor

More thorough than a class I attended last year through another company.

Troy Yonkers

HSES Representative

Download Our Latest Whitepaper

Use this guide as a quick reference to the most common HAZWOPER questions, and get course recommendations for managers and personnel who are in need of OSHA-required HAZWOPER training.

Latest Whitepaper

By submitting your phone number, you agree to receive recurring marketing and training text messages. Consent to receive text messages is not required for any purchases. Text STOP at any time to cancel. Message and data rates may apply. View our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.