The devastating news of the oil spill in Southern California off Los Angeles County and Orange County coastlines is unacceptable. Over 144,000 gallons of crude oil has spewed into our pacific oceans coastline. The latest news now says the oil pipeline reportedly split open from a 13 inch gash (possibly by hitting an anchor undersea), and was moved across the ocean floor, spreading into coastal wetlands rich biodiversity. This oil pipeline is owned by Amplify Energy Corp. Experts say this spill will have “sweeping impacts on Southern California’s coastal wildlife, potentially for years to come.”
We’ve become too comfortable hearing this type of news, where is the outrage? And when do we say enough is enough on oil spills? Where is the accountability? This shouldn’t just be about figuring out what happened with this oil spill. This should be an absolute NO to oil pipelines from here forward.
Ocean conservancy says, “when toxic oil is released at the bottom of the ocean, as happened here, it can impact the entire ocean ecosystem, from seafloor habitats to coastal wetlands. As the oil rises to the surface and moves to shore, it can impact a wide range of species including plankton, invertebrates, fish, sea turtles and marine mammals.”
An article on cnn.com says, “It took more than 12 hours for authorities to recognize the extent of the problem. The time period between those two events is now under close scrutiny as the extensive oil spill has shut prized beaches, damaged coastal habitats and threatened the health of animals and people who call the area home.” How did it take more than 12 hours for authorities to recognize the extent of this problem? This is a major failure and this delay needs to be investigated and accounted for immediately.
For a timeline of events from a cnn article please visit – https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/06/us/huntington-beach-california-oil-spill-timeline/index.html
To learn more about how this spill is so harmful to wildlife , particularly birds, please read this article ~ https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/22708654/oil-spills-wildlife-huntington-beach-california
To learn what you can do to help – https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2021/10/05/oil-spill/
Prayers up for all the people, wildlife and ocean relatives that will be impacted by this.
