Houston-based Plains All-American Pipeline has been indicted on criminal charges by a California grand jury over the May 2015 Santa Barbara oil spill that released about 3,000 barrels of oil onto a beach and into the Pacific Ocean.
At least 4 criminal charges were returned by the grand jury including four felonies charged the firm with hazardous releases into state waters and with misdemeanor violations over the reporting of the spill to state officials. Plans could face up to $2.8 million in fines.
California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris said three charges were against one of the company employees.
Plains All-American, a firm with operations at Cushing, Oklahoma has had at least eleven serious crude oil spills in five states including Oklahoma in the past several years. It was six years ago when the company reached a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency and paid a $3.25 million civil penalty for violations of the Clean Water Act. The company also agreed to spend $41 million on making improvements to more than 10,000 miles of crude oil pipelines.
One of the largest spills involved 28,000 barrels of oil from a ruptured pipeline near Little Buffalo, Alberta in 2011. It was considered to be one of the largest land-based oil spills in North America.