GOLETA, Calif. — The cost of cleaning up last month’s oil spill on the California coast has reached $69 million so far.
Plains All American Pipeline’s on-scene coordinator, Patrick Hodgins, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the costs are running at $3 million a day, and there’s no timetable for when the cleanup will be complete.
About 76 percent of 97 miles of coastline — mostly sandy beaches — have been cleared of oil. Crews are using tools to scrape oil off rocks and cobble beaches.
The May 19 spill occurred after an onshore pipeline operated by Texas-based Plains All American ruptured, leaking up to 101,000 gallons of crude.
About 21,000 gallons entered a storm drain and washed out to the Pacific Ocean off Santa Barbara County.
