[ad_1]
Workers are working to clean up the crude oil that leaked over the weekend, which covered beaches and discharged thousands of liters of crude oil into the ocean.
US officials are investigating whether a 41-year-old pipeline caused an oil spill on the southern coast of California, causing wildlife deaths and tarnishing most of the coastline.
One of the leaks of the weekend State’s largest – Sending 570,000 liters (126,000 gallons) of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean and polluting the sandy beaches of Huntington Beach and other coastal communities.
Officials said the leak could shut down beaches for weeks or even months, as cleanup crews in white overalls and helmets worked on beaches and wetlands that stretch from the ocean to the inland on the east side of the coastal highway on Monday.
The greasy bird washed ashore with the dead fish.
On Sunday, cleaners scrambled to control the crude oil to prevent it from spreading further to the protected wetlands [Ringo HW Chiu/AP Photo]“The beaches in many places are covered with thick tar-like crude oil clots,” Al Jazeera’s Rob Reynolds reported from Huntington Beach, about 65 kilometers (40 miles) south of Los Angeles.
Huntington Beach Mayor Kincar said that approximately 34 square kilometers (13 square miles) of ocean and part of the town’s coastline are “covered by oil”.
According to reports, officials on Monday were investigating whether a ship’s anchor might have hit an oil pipeline on the sea floor, causing a leak.
Martyn Willsher, chief executive officer of Amplify Energy, the company that operates the pipeline, said on Monday that divers have inspected more than 2,438 meters (8,000 feet) of pipeline and focused on “an important area.”
He said at a press conference that the anchor hitting the pipeline was “one of the obvious possibilities” for the leak.
US Coast Guard officials said cargo ships entering the two ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach often pass through the area.
“We are investigating whether it might be an anchor for a ship, but it is now in the evaluation stage,” said Coast Guard Lieutenant Commander Jeanne Saya.
A government regulator found that the regulator failed to address the risk of unused submarine pipelines, platforms and other infrastructure [Mike Blake/Reuters]Federal officials have stepped up scrutiny of aging and idle offshore energy pipelines. Since the 1940s, energy companies have built 64,000 kilometers (40,000 miles) of oil and gas pipelines in the federal offshore waters.
In March, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO), a government regulator, found that the regulator Failed Address the risk of unused submarine pipelines, platforms and other infrastructure.
“As pipelines age, they are more susceptible to damage from corrosion, mudslides and seabed erosion,” Gao said.
Damon Ye, an official with the Environmental Advocacy Group’s Natural Resources Protection Committee, told Al Jazeera last Monday that the leak is “absolutely avoidable.”
“This is a disaster and I think everyone should be angry,” Nogami said, urging countries to stop relying on fossil fuels to prevent future leaks.
“The big picture here is that we need to completely get rid of fossil fuels as soon as possible,” Nogami said. “In the meantime, we need to ensure that protection measures are stronger.”
[ad_2]
Source link