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May 27, 2015

Leaky California pipeline didn't have auto shut-off

  • The original owner convinced a court in the late 1980s that the pipeline should be subject to federal oversight because it is part of an interstate network.
    • By BRIAN MELLEY
    Associated Press

    LOS ANGELES — The pipeline that leaked thousands of gallons of oil on the California coast was the only pipe of its kind in the county not required to have an automatic shut-off valve because of a court fight nearly three decades ago, a county official said.

    The original owner of the pipeline skirted the Santa Barbara County requirement by successfully arguing in court in the late 1980s that it should be subject to federal oversight because the pipeline is part of an interstate network, said Kevin Drude, deputy director of the county's Energy and Minerals Division. Auto shut-off valves are not required by federal regulators.


     
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