A citizen first reported the leak around noon at Refugio State Beach in California's Santa Barbara County and the Coast Guard had stopped it by 3 P.M.—but an estimated 21,000 gallons of crude oil still spilled onto the shore and into the Pacific Ocean, creating a four-mile-long sheen. The area is home to an array of species, such as sea lions and seabirds, as well as migrating whales.
The pipeline, owned by Plains All American, is capable of transporting 150,000 barrels of crude every day, from a facility owned by Exxon Mobil.
Santa Barbara's beaches were fouled with crude oil in 1969 during what was the third-largest oil spill in United States waters. (NRDC)
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