Nikita Nautiyal '23
In 1969, the largest oil spill ever to occur (by that time in the United States) took place off the coast of Santa Barbara-- a stone's throw away from our Mesa. The water, once blue and full of life, was a never-ending pit of black, killing birds, seals, dolphins, and every other living creature.
Last Saturday, October 3, just over half a century later, another spill occurred off Huntington Beach, in Orange County due to a leaking pipeline. Reports from the US Coast Guard concluded the leak was caused by a boat anchor; however, that breach may have happened up to a year ago. Starting as a crack, it could have grown in severity over time. There was speculation of a spill on Friday, October 2, but it went undetected until Saturday morning. Even after the low-pressure alarm had gone off, Amplify, the company in charge, took 3 hours to shut off the line - and then another 3 hours to report the spill to authorities. Is that slow response time normal?
Apparently, since 1986, 17 other oil pipeline accidents have taken place as a result of anchor strikes. Generally speaking, the blowback of these incidents lands squarely in the laps of oil and gas companies, as they become subject to an influx of protesting and bad press. But if it was the ship that miscalculated, or failed to check for oil lines below, then who should we be blaming? Are we villainizing the wrong people? And does it even matter? This spill, along with various others, has helped back the case to ban offshore drilling.
The problem with shutting down all of California’s oil wells is the cost associated, not to mention the years of planning. Estimates for decommissioning a single platform are anywhere from $19 million to $189 million, and even that may be lowballing it. In addition to money being a limiting factor, we are dependent on these oil wells in our everyday lives-- to fuel our cars, heat our homes, make our roads, and so much more. As daily consumers, getting rid of our main oil and gas source just isn’t practical.
The nation seems to be at a standstill with no predetermined solution or set plan in place to remedy the recurring problem: oil spills damaging our oceans. Environmentalists for a long time have been challenging the oil and gas industry, and understandably so. Mistakes have been made that cost animal their lives, and us our beaches. Cargo ships have also contributed to the issue by creating leaks in pipelines that were otherwise safely functioning and coexisting with marine life. Our world and its creatures are the ones paying the price. Whether it is more surveillance, better communication between boats and oil companies, or something else altogether, our job, environmentalist or not, is to be part of a solution that preserves the Earth.
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