It still ranks in the top of human-caused catastrophes in the United States. It is also the third-largest oil-related spillage in the country, after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon calamities and the 1989 Exxon Valdez.
In early 1969, the Santa Barbara Channel was flooded with between 3.5 million to 4.2 million gallons crude oil. This occurred after a Union Oil drilling platform exploded six miles off shore. The disaster zone was approximately 115 miles away from the location of the 126,000-gallon oil spillage that occurred over the weekend at Huntington Beach, a famous surfing spot.
Although the Union Oil rig was controversial from its inception, local communities in California weren’t given any input in drilling in federal waters. The construction process was not perfect. Although protective steel should have been at least 300 feet below ocean floor, the company received a waiver that allowed it to use only 239 feet.
Thousands of oil-coated birds died in the wake of the disaster. Photos of the beach carnage were widely published in newspapers and magazines.
In March 1969, President Richard Nixon visited the location and stated to reporters that Santa Barbara was the one who had to bring it up to the attention of the American people.
This example, of communities being left out of critical decisions and corners being cut to save money or time for large corporations, attracted national attention and outrage. This gave rise to the idea of the first Earth Day in the following year.
Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, an early environmentalist was at Santa Barbara’s oil spillage site. later stated it inspired him and his organization to hold a “national teach-in about the environment”
The 1960s saw more than one environmental disaster in America: the oil spillage. The links between rampant overuse of the pesticide DDT and damaged ecosystems — including the dwindling population of
In the 1970s, a slew of federal environmental laws were passed. These included the Environmental Protection Agency (1970), and the Clean Air Act (both 1970)
Damon Nagami (a senior attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council), said that it was frustrating that spills like these keep happening as he walked through Huntington Beach’s cordoned areas. “This is something that I feel very personal because I grew up close to here.”
He said that these are completely preventable disasters, but he also stated that offshore drilling management is complicated because there are many regulatory bodies with overlapping responsibilities depending on whether the activity takes place in federal waters or state waters.
Oil spillages can cause damage to coastal ecosystems and marine life. If oil-laden water gets into storm drainage systems, it can also impact local communities. Nagami stated that oil can be hard to remove from an ecosystem once it has gotten into it. “The effects are felt for years and even decades.”
Don Anair is a research assistant at the Union of Concerned Scientists and said that oil spillages are “a very visible example of our dependence on fossil fuels.”
He stated that while we should do all that is possible to ensure the infrastructure is safe, it won’t completely eliminate the possibility of oil spillages. “The long-term solution is to switch to other sources of energy to power our vehicles.
The EPA states that the transportation sector, which accounts for 29% of all greenhouse gas emissions, is the country’s primary contributor to climate change.
