Officials investigate possible oil spill off Southern California coast

(CN) — The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating a roughly 2.5-mile long oil sheen spotted 1.5 miles off the coast of Huntington Beach, in Southern California. It is not yet clear where the oil came from.

"We are actively monitoring reports of an oil sheen near Huntington Beach," Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter. "We have deployed personnel to evaluate the incident and will continue to coordinate with local, state and federal partners."

The Coast Guard's Los Angeles-Long Beach command center first received a report of the oil sheen at 6:50 p.m. on Thursday evening. Pollution responders began investigating on Friday morning, and measured the sheen at 2.5 miles long and half a mile wild, near two offshore oil drilling platforms named "Eva" and "Emmy."

Both of the platforms began operating in the 1980s.

"I certainly would not be surprised if it came from one of those two units," said Brady Bradshaw, a senior oceans campaigner for the Center for Biological Diversity. "We've already already seen spills from California’s offshore infrastructure, which is decrepit and dangerous, and far beyond its expected lifespan."

A spokesman for the Coast Guard told The New York Times that it was premature to say the oil came from a spill, noting that it could be from "natural seepage."

Bradshaw agreed that it was possible the oil came up from the ground naturally, but pointed out "the destabilization of the geology on the ocean floor can possibly lead to seepage."

In 2021, a ship's anchor dragging along the ocean floor during heavy winds punctured a hole in an underwater oil pipeline off the coast of Huntington Beach, sending tens of thousands of gallons of crude oil into the Pacific. The spill led to numerous lawsuits filed against Amplify Energy, which owns the pipeline. Amplify also sued the ships whose anchors damaged the pipeline. The ships' owners agreed to pay Amplify $96 million, while a class action filed by local businessmen and homeowners filed against Amplify settled in September for $95 million.

Regarding the newer appearance of oil near Huntington Beach, a spokesperson for Amplify said, in a statement, "At this time, we have no indication that this sheen is related to our operations. We will continue to cooperate with the U.S. Coast Guard and other relevant authorities and provide support in any way we can."

The Coast Guard said in a press release that a unified command with representatives from the Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Orange County Sheriff's Department had been set up to determine the cause of the oil and to assess the environmental damage.

"The Coast Guard is contacting all potential spill sources in the area, but no source has been identified," the Coast Guard said in the statement. "At this time, no oiled wildlife has been observed. The public is asked not to approach impacted animals if observed."

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