Regulators badly underestimated the devastation of a possible oil spill off the O.C. coast

  • 📰 latimes
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 63 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 28%
  • Publisher: 82%

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News,United States Headlines

This month's spill was over 10 times larger than regulators in the 1970s predicted in the event of an anchor strike on the pipeline. Their miscalculation may have missed an opportunity to enact safeguards, experts say.

Some city dwellers who’ve moved to the high desert over the last year and a half looking for more space and clean air also found unexpected drawbacks.

Though anchor strikes are rare, severe weather is associated with their occurrence. Most offshore oil drilling infrastructure is designed to withstand so-called 100-year storms, giant rainfall events estimated to have a 1% chance of occurring at that location each year. But some climate experts warn that those predictions may not account for climate change, which is bringing more intense weather more often.

Off the Southern California coast, government regulators signed off decades ago on a plan to bury a section of the pipeline, which runs more than 15 miles between a processing platform called Elly and the shore. The buried section would run from the shore to the Long Beach breakwater. From there, the rest of the line lies on top of the seabed.

The analysis — included in an environmental impact report prepared in 1978 by the U.S. Geological Survey, the State Lands Commission and the Port of Long Beach — acknowledged that there was still a chance of an anchor strike along the unburied part of the line, which runs nearly 11 miles along the ocean floor.“There remains the possibility that the pipeline could be ruptured or pierced by an accident, such as an emergency or accidental anchoring,” the report said.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.

Over regulation and monitoring are not the problem and have never been the problem. Lack of real regulation and enforcement is.

Michael Bluth : don’t call it that

For all those who are new to this working from home Bitcoin trading options Here's a little tip: Get a trusted Bitcoin expert and stick to her earn_with_Jens1 Invest and play at similar times each day. Because : In times of chaos, your investment is your anchor to success

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 11. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

California oil spill that shut down beaches was about 25,000 gallons, well below earlier estimateWhen crude oil leaked into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California earlier this month, the amount spilled was about 25,000 gallons, officials said Friday. Hate that price of the care less environment clogged sewage... everywhere
Source: CNN - 🏆 4. / 95 Read more »

Huntington Beach City Council to consider supporting new offshore oil drilling banOn Thursday, U.S. Coast Guard officials said they believe that the spill was close to 25,000 gallons — on the low end of earlier projections. good luck Finally! Drilling has to stop! They should be considering things all the time, that's their job. Let me know when they do something, hopefully they will.
Source: latimes - 🏆 11. / 82 Read more »

Ship owner, operator of interest in California oil spillThe U.S. Coast Guard has designated the Mediterranean Shipping Company and others as parties of interest in an investigation into a vessel that was determined to be the source of an offshore pipeline leak in Southern California. Wouldn't be an issue if we didn't have big ugly oil platforms right off the coast destroying our oceans and killing our sealife and socal kelp forests but hey, who needs oxygen anyway. Take that seat. Don't leave it for jokers.
Source: ABC - 🏆 471. / 51 Read more »

Record 2-tonne sunfish found off the coast of CeutaMarine biologist Enrique Ostale could not believe his eyes when he saw the enormous sunfish tangled in the nets of a tuna-fishing boat off the Mediterranean coast of Ceuta earlier this month. Marine biologist Enrique Ostale said it was stressful to lift the animal with the crane. I wonder how much stress the animal felt? I am glad they released it though. This story is a bit fishy
Source: Reuters - 🏆 2. / 97 Read more »

World Travelers Are Sharing The Single Most Beautiful Place They've Ever Visited, And I'm Planning My Next TripI didn’t know it was possible to experience this much wanderlust.
Source: BuzzFeed - 🏆 730. / 51 Read more »

How to Choose the Right Psoriatic Arthritis MedicationRemission is possible.
Source: SELFmagazine - 🏆 478. / 51 Read more »