Rep. Mike Levin Responds to Pipeline Operator’s Failure to Immediately Shut Down Pipeline and Report Spill to Authorities
San Juan Capistrano, CA – Today, Rep. Mike Levin (D-CA) responded to reports that Amplify Energy and its subsidiary, Beta Offshore Operating Company, failed to immediately shut down its pipeline once they became aware to the leak off Orange County and did not report the situation to authorities for six hours.
“The failure of Beta Offshore to immediately shut down its pipeline once alerted to the leak is outrageous and inexcusable,” said Rep. Levin. “Additionally, their decision not to report the situation to federal authorities for six hours raises serious questions about their integrity and motivations. Given the pipeline operator’s long track record of incidents of non-compliance, it is clear they should not be operating off of our Southern California coast – or anywhere else. I will continue to closely monitor the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s ongoing investigation, and will continue to push for Congressional action to end offshore drilling along our Southern California coast.”
Rep. Levin is leading a letter to Speaker Pelosi and Leader Hoyer urging them to retain the offshore oil and gas related provisions in the Build Back Better Act, including the provision that invests in the long-term protection of coastal communities by ending new federal oil and gas leasing off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, and in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico.
Rep. Levin also looks forward to participating in a House Natural Resources Committee markup of the Offshore Accountability Act (McEachin, D-VA) and Offshore Pipeline Safety Act (Brownley, D-CA) on Wednesday, October 13.
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