Company indicted in Calif. oil spill

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES

A Texas oil pipeline company responsible for spilling more than 140,000 gallons of crude on the California coast last year has been indicted on dozens of criminal charges, the company said Tuesday.

Plains All American Pipeline and one of its employees face 46 counts of state law violations in the May 19, 2015, spill that initially went undetected until oil began spilling onto a pristine beach on the Santa Barbara coastline and into the ocean.

Initial investigations found the 2-foot-wide underground pipeline was severely corroded where it ruptured on land. Plains said in a statement that the spill was an accident and believes no criminal behavior occurred.

“We will vigorously defend ourselves against these charges and are confident we will demonstrate that the charges have no merit and represent an inappropriate attempt to criminalize an unfortunate accident,” the company said.

The spill came two weeks before Memorial Day weekend last year and forced the state to close popular beaches as an oil sheen spread over miles of the Pacific Ocean. It was blamed for the deaths of more than 300 dead animals, including pelicans and sea lions, and sent tar balls drifting more than 100 miles away to Los Angeles beaches.