ExxonMobil temporarily halted operations at three of its offshore platforms in the wake of last month’s oil pipeline spill in Santa Barbara County, Calif. Via the Associated Press, ExxonMobil ceased operations after county officials denied the company’s request to transport oil to local refineries by truck.
A pipeline owned by Plains All American Pipeline spilled up to 101,000 gallons of oil in Santa Barbara County May 19. Tens of thousands of gallons of oil spilled into the Pacific Ocean, fouling a stretch of coastline and spreading tar balls as far as 100 miles away. An investigation determined the pipeline was corroded prior to the spill.
The incident is another headache for ExxonMobil in California, where a February explosion at its Torrance refinery forced the company to import gasoline from Asia for the first time.
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