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California Declares State of Emergency as Oil Spill Grows

HeadlineMay 21, 2015

California has declared a state of emergency for Santa Barbara County after a ruptured pipeline leaked oil into the Pacific Ocean. The estimated spill size has grown fivefold to up to 105,000 gallons. A Coast Guard spokesperson said the oil slick from the spill has also expanded to nine miles.

Capt. Jennifer Williams: “We have basically two miles from shore a slick that’s approximately 3.7 miles long, that goes along the shoreline heading east. And northeast, we have a slick offshore that’s 5.3 miles. So a slick totaling about nine miles in length. In addition, we are actively on the beaches, and we have the contractors on the beaches removing oil from the sand. This is the first step, because that’s the easiest thing that we can get to on the beach area. And we have plans, obviously, to continue the cleanup of the rocky areas, the pebbles and the outcrops.”

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