Environmental Impacts Slick Policy: Environmental and Science Policy in the Aftermath of the Santa Barbara Oil Spill Teresa Sabol Spezio (Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2019)

The incidence of oil spillage from offshore exploration and production activities is comparatively low but the Santa Barbara and Chevron blowouts remind us of what can happen.There are two things each operator can do to help ensure he is prepared in the event of an emergency. First, a comprehensive inhouse contingency plan should be prepared before commencing operations in an area. The plan will ensure that adequate first-aid measures are on hand at all times and will go on to list the location and availability of additional assistance both in equipment and manpower.Second, the operator should be prepared to participate in the oil industry's National Oil Spills Action Plan. This plan is designed to ensure that the entire resources of the industry can be made available and effectively co-ordinated to combat an oil spill anywhere on the coast of Australia.

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Santa Barbara to Mega Borg and Beyond: A Review of Api's Spill Program and Priorities

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-1991-1-341 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 1991 (1) ◽

pp. 341-348

Author(s):

Jack R. Gould ◽

June Lindstedt-Siva

Keyword(s):

Oil Spill ◽

American Petroleum Institute ◽

Contingency Planning ◽

Future Research ◽

Santa Barbara ◽

Planning Development

ABSTRACT The oil spill programs sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute began after the Santa Barbara spill in 1969 and have focused on prevention, contingency planning, development of countermeasures, and research on the fate and effects of spills and various response methods. This paper presents an overview of the program, including some of its general conclusions. It also presents the API priorities for future research.

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The Santa Barbara Study

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-1969-1-309 ◽

1969 ◽

Vol 1969 (1) ◽

pp. 309-311 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Dale Straughan

Keyword(s):

Oil Spill ◽

Santa Barbara Channel ◽

Santa Barbara ◽

General Outline ◽

Biological Studies

Abstract This paper gives an outline of the unique problems associated with determining the effects of the oil spill in the Santa Barbara Channel and a general outline of biological studies associated with the spill

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Remote Sensing Of Oil Slicks

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-1969-1-297 ◽

1969 ◽

Vol 1969 (1) ◽

pp. 297-307

Author(s):

L.G. Swaby ◽

A.F. Forziati

Keyword(s):

Remote Sensing ◽

Oil Spill ◽

Santa Barbara ◽

Advantages And Disadvantages ◽

Remote Sensing Methods

Abstract An overview of remote sensing methods is presented and illustrated with data taken at the Santa Barbara oil spill The conclusion is reached that such methods possess monitoring capability but so far the ability to identify the slick material as oil has not been demonstrated. The advantages and disadvantages of each method are briefly discussed.

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The Refugio Oil Spill Response: Case Study and Lessons’ Learned/Best Practices for the Future

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-2017.1.104 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 (1) ◽

pp. 104-123

Author(s):

Yvonne Najah Addassi ◽

Julie Yamamoto ◽

Thomas M. Cullen

Keyword(s):

Best Practices ◽

Oil Spill ◽

Environmental Protection Agency ◽

Oil Spills ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Santa Barbara ◽

California Department ◽

Oil Spill Response ◽

Santa Barbara County ◽

The U.S

ABSTRACT The Refugio Oil Spill occurred on May 19, 2015, due to the failure of an underground pipeline, owned and operated by a subsidiary of Plains All-American Pipeline near Highway 101 in Santa Barbara County. The Responsible Party initially estimated the amount of crude oil released at about 104,000 gallons, with 21,000 gallons reaching the ocean. A Unified Command (UC) was established consisting of Incident Commanders from the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Office of Spill Prevention and Response (OSPR), Santa Barbara County, and Plains Pipeline with additional participation by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and California State Parks. Within hours, the CDFW closed fisheries and the following day Governor Brown declared a state of emergency for Santa Barbara County. The released oil caused heavy oiling of both on and offshore areas at Refugio State Beach and impacted other areas of Santa Barbara and Ventura. A number of factors created unique challenges for the management of this response. In addition to direct natural resource impacts, the closure of beaches and fisheries occurred days before the Memorial Day weekend resulting in losses for local businesses and lost opportunities for the public. The Santa Barbara community, with its history with oil spills and environmental activism, was extremely concerned and interested in involvement, including the use of volunteers on beaches. Also this area of the coast has significant tribal and archeologic resources that required sensitive handling and coordination. Finally, this area of California’s coast is a known natural seep area which created the need to distinguish spilled from ‘naturally occurring’ oil. Most emergency responses, including oil spills, follow a similar pattern of command establishment, response and cleanup phases, followed by non-response phase monitoring, cleanup and restoration. This paper will analyze the Refugio oil spill response in three primary focus areas: 1) identify the ways in which this spill response was unique and required innovative and novel solutions; 2) identify the ways in which this response benefited from the ‘lessons’ learned from both the Deepwater Horizon and Cosco Busan oil spills; and 3) provide a summary of OSPR’s response evaluation report for Refugio, with specific focus on how the lessons learned and best practices will inform future planning efforts within California.

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POST-RELEASE MONITORING OF OILED BROWN PELICANS FROM THE 2015 REFUGIO OIL SPILL

International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings ◽

10.7901/2169-3358-2017.1.605 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 (1) ◽

pp. 605-617 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Christine Fiorello ◽

Patrick Jodice ◽

Juliet Lamb ◽

Yvan Satge ◽

Kyra Mills-Parker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oil Spill ◽

Late Summer ◽

Santa Barbara ◽

California Coast ◽

Tag Loss ◽

Brown Pelicans ◽

Early Fall ◽

Solar Powered ◽

Ultimate Fate ◽

And Control

ABSTRACT A great deal of effort and resources is expended on the cleaning and rehabilitation of oiled wildlife, but the ultimate fate of these animals is often unknown. Post-release monitoring is essential for improving methodology and directing resources to those animals most likely to survive after release. The Refugio oil spill occurred in May 2015, spilling approximately 100,000 gallons of oil on the California coast near Santa Barbara. Brown pelicans were the most common avian species affected. We instrumented 12 oiled pelicans with solar-powered satellite GPS tags at the time of their release following cleaning and rehabilitation. An additional 8 control (unoiled) pelicans from a nearby area were similarly instrumented and released immediately. All birds survived for at least 12 weeks. In the first 6 months after release, distance traveled and movements were similar between rehabilitated and control pelicans. Several individuals traveled >5000 km, migrating to northern California or central Oregon in the late summer and early fall. In the spring, most birds traveled south, some as far as southern Baja California. Mortality was documented among both rehabilitated and control birds; however, the majority of birds that stopped transmitting were never found. Lack of transmission could represent mortality, tag or battery failure, or tag loss. After at least 40 weeks of tracking, 5 birds (3 rehabilitated and 2 control) were still transmitting. Based on presence in breeding colonies, none of the birds appeared to breed. These results demonstrate that brown pelicans can survive and travel long distances following oiling and rehabilitation.

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