A ruptured onshore pipeline leaked around 21,000 gallons of oil, some of which reached the ocean and the surrounding coastline on Refugio Beach in Santa Barbara, California, on Tuesday around 12 pm local time, the US Coast Guard reports.
The Coast Guard crews located and secured the source of the spill at around 3 pm local time. The spill amassed an oil slick stretching four miles along the coast.
The responsible party for the ruptured 24-inch pipeline has been identified as the Huston-based fuel storage and pipeline transportation company Plains All-American Pipeline.
The US Coast Guard has established an Incident Command Post to oversee the clean-up of the oil by Plains All-American Pipeline. A commercial oil spill response company has been contracted to begin clean up operations.
In addition to the Coast Guard, California Office of Emergency Services, California Fish and Wildlife, county fire departments, and Exxon Mobil are currently on scene.