California Governor Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency in Santa Barbara Country due to the massive oil spill that was the largest to hit the state in nearly two decades. The oil floating off the coast is now stretching for about 9 miles, which was more than what was initially anticipated.
"This emergency proclamation cuts red tape and helps the state quickly mobilize all available resources," Brown said in a statement.
"We will do everything necessary to protect California's coastline," he added.
As of writing, the rupture in the pipeline is believed to have dumped as much as 2,500 barrels (397,000 liters) of crude oil into the ocean. This amount is five times more than what was initially expected, as reported by CBC News.
Plains All American Pipeline, the pipeline company, stated that this latest estimate is a "worst case scenario," which is based on the pipeline's regular flow rate and other indicators. Darren Palmer, an official of Plains, stated that the 24-inch pipeline was running at a rate of 2,000 barrels an hour, which is equivalent to 84,000 gallons, according to NBC Los Angeles.
"Out of all transportation, pipelines are the safest transportation for moving crude oil," Palmer said.
"I can't say we guarantee it won't happen. We did everything we can to prevent it from happening," he added.
Plains has stated that the company shut down the oil line as soon as abnormalities were noticed by the control room operator. However, the company does acknowledge that a residual amount of oil in the pipeline drained out after the shutdown, according to CBC News.
Janet Wolf, chairperson of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors has called the latest oil spill "a disaster" and "a worst-case scenario."
As of the moment, wildlife teams have been dispatched to rescue any animals that may have been injured in the spill. The state of the damage to the wildlife is still unknown. Popular beach destinations for the summer season have also been closed, according to NBC Los Angeles.
"It's important to remember this stretch of California coastline is unique to the world. It's beautiful and pristine," Santa Barbara County Supervisor Doreen Farr said.
"This is more than an inconvenience. This is just a disaster. We are taking it very seriously," Farr said.
