By Loelia Lecouffe, FRANCE
As you probably know Santa Barbara County hosts active oil rigs* that we see from the coast. One platform and one artificial island in Santa Barbara Chanel, four artificial islands and three platforms in San Pedro Bay/Long Beach harbor. About 23 offshore* drilling and production platforms remain in federal waters. They produce 22 millions barrels* of oil and 21 billions cubic feet of gas per year (2009).
They drill, extract and process oil and natural gas an temporarily store product until it can be brought to the shore for refining* and marketing.
Santa Barbara County had a tough past when, in 1969, a blowout* occurred. About 80 to 100 000 barrels have been spilled into the water. Nearly 3686 birds died and unknown quantity of sea lions and elephants seal. That’s by that event that ‘Get Out the Oil’ has been created. People were cleaning the beaches along with ‘Heal the ocean’. In 1974 Santa Barbara County was charged 4 millions dollars in penalties for well blowout drilling from offshore oil platform. In 2015 that tragedy happened again with, that time, 3400 barrels discharged in the water.
Sea lions and different animals are still dying on the beaches and are, apparently, affected by the Domoic Acid*
As you can clearly sea i took that picture on West Beach, showing a baby sea lion dead with oil just next to it.
The Domoic Acid is an illness that is carried into the food they eat such as died planctons but I personally do not think that it’s the only reason and I’ve been to diffent associations as Community Environmental Council (CEC). I met Linda Krop, Director of the Environmental Defense Center that did a Public Forum this May 16 about the oil platforms.
efsantabarbaranews.com 