Officials began to clean up a massive oil spill Friday that dumped nearly 800,000 gallons of oil and water into a California canyon, making it larger — if less devastating — than the state’s last two major oil spills.
The spill has been flowing off and on since May and has again stopped, Chevron spokeswoman Veronica Flores-Paniagua told The Associated Press. She and California officials said the spill is not near any waterway and has not significantly affected wildlife.
Spill due to steam injection
Chevron reported 18,904 Bbls of oil and water have leaked out of the ground where it uses steam injection to extract oil in the large Cymric Oilfield, about 35 miles west of Bakersfield. The steam softens the thick crude so it can flow more readily.
California has issued Chevron a notice of violation ordering it to stop steam injections around the spill, the A+P reported. The company also increased its production of oil from wells in the area. Both actions are intended to relieve underground pressure that may be forcing the mix of oil and water to the surface.
Chevron will pay for cleanup
Chevron will pay for the cleanup, though the state will oversee the process, Steve Gonzalez, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Office of Spill Prevention and Response, told the AP.
The cleanup and the investigation into what caused the oil flow were somewhat delayed as officials ensured there are no dangerous fumes or sinkholes that could trap workers or heavy equipment, he said.
“At this point, they have it dammed off and they’re sucking it out, sucking the oil out,” Gonzalez said.
Enviros blame weakened regs
Environmental groups said the Chevron spill is another sign of weakened regulations under an embattled California agency. Gov. Gavin Newsom last week fired the head of the state’s oil and gas division over a recent increase in hydraulic fracturing permits and amid a conflict-of-interest investigation of other division employees.
The Last Chance Alliance, which opposes California’s oil and gas industry, said the state’s Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources adopted weaker restrictions on steam injection earlier this year, “making these operations even more dangerous.”
Roughly 70% of the fluid is water, Chevron said, meaning about 5,714 Bbls of the mixture is oil.
Plains fined earlier this year
The spill comes after a judge earlier this year fined Plains All American Pipeline nearly $3.35 million for causing what had been the worst California coastal spill in 25 years.
A corroded pipeline spilled 3,333 Bbls of crude in 2015 onto Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County, northwest of Los Angeles, tarring beaches for miles, killing wildlife and harming tourism and fishing.
