A series of images released by environmental activists have revealed the true crisis confronting a stretch of California coastline after more than 100,000 gallons of oil were leaked into the ocean.
As Governor Jerry Brown issued an emergency proclamation declared to speed the dedication of resources to the area, clean-up teams north of Santa Barbara embarked on a third day of efforts to remove patches of oil.
…
Refugio State Beach and El Capitan State Beach, both popular seaside camping destinations, were to remain closed to the public through the Memorial Day holiday weekend. The area was also closed to fishing and shellfish harvesting.
The leak of oil came after a pipeline broke, leaking 105,000 gallons of crude oil, five times more than the initial estimate, according to owner Plains All American Pipeline.
The 24-inch-wide (61-cm-wide) pipeline, which runs underground parallel to a coastal highway west of Santa Barbara, inexplicably burst on Tuesday morning. Oil flooded down a canyon, under a culvert and onto Refugio State Beach before it flowed into the Pacific.
Global Geopolitics 