California Oil Spill Update: Investigation Into Why And How 126,000 Gallons Of Oil Leaked Into Ocean Continues

An investigation by federal and state officials into the cause of the estimated 126,000-gallon oil spill off the coast of Orange County, California, is ongoing. The leak accounts for one of the most destructive spills in years.

The exact cause of the pipeline leak is still unknown. "We are still assessing to look for the source and figure it out. It doesn't appear there's further fuel leaking, but we're still working on identifying that," Eric Laughlin, a spokesperson for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said at a news conference on Sunday.

It has been confirmed that the oil spill came from a pipeline that is owned by Amplify Energy Corp., an independent oil and natural gas company based in Houston.

The president and CEO of Amplify, Martyn Willsher, announced that it was the company’s pipeline at the news conference. He said that the pipeline carrying oil from the platform has been shut off and that any remaining oil in the pipe has been removed. It does not expect any more oil to leak into the ocean.

“The pipeline was suctioned at both ends to keep additional crude out,” Willsher said. “I don't expect it to be more. That’s the capacity of the entire pipeline.”

Over the weekend, divers inspected the surrounding waters of the 17-mile-long pipeline to try and determine where and why the spill occurred.

Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley told CNN that it has been discovered that the pipeline that caused the leak is “decades old.” She also mentioned that she is afraid the spill may take years to clean up, calling it a “very sad” situation.

The U.S. Coast Guard said that 2,050 feet of protective booms have been deployed by officials to help contain and slow the oil from spreading. They estimated that about 3,150 gallons of oil were recovered from the water on Sunday, Reuters reported.

"Our employees live and work in these communities, and we're all deeply impacted and concerned about the impact on not just the environment, but the fish and wildlife as well," Willsher said. "We will do everything in our power to ensure that this is recovered as quickly as possible, and we won't be done until this is concluded."