Workers remove oil on the 3rd in Huntington Beach, California, where an offshore oil spill occurred. Concerns about a large-scale environmental disaster are growing as a result of this accident. [AP = 연합뉴스]The worst oil spill off the coast of Southern California has raised concerns about environmental damage. It is reported that at least 126,000 gallons (about 570,000 liters) of crude oil flowed into the sea, and the wetland ecosystem where dozens of wild animals live was destroyed in an instant.
“This oil spill could be the most devastating situation our community has experienced in decades,” the city of Huntington Beach, California, said at a press conference on Wednesday. will come,” he said.
The accident was first reported to the US Coast Guard (USGS) on the morning of the 2nd. The oil spill point is about 8 km off the coast of Huntington Beach, and the owner of the leaked pipeline is known as Houston-based oil company Amplify Energy. Chief Executive Officer Martin Wilshire said the company is investigating the leak and divers have been brought to the site of the accident. The specific cause of the accident has not been revealed.
![A bird walks along the shoreline of an oil strip on the 3rd (local time) right after a large oil spill off the coast of southern California, USA. [사진 = 로이터연합]](https://i0.wp.com/file.mk.co.kr/meet/neds/2021/10/image_readmed_2021_940418_16333434604804015.jpg?w=600&ssl=1)
A bird walks along the shoreline of an oil strip on the 3rd (local time) right after a large oil spill off the coast of southern California, USA. [사진 = 로이터연합]The Associated Press reported that “the stench of petroleum is so full that you can feel the taste in the air in your mouth.”
The problem is that the spilled oil hit nearby wildlife habitats, such as the Talbert Wetlands. Covering an area of 100,000 square meters, this wetland has high ecological conservation value, with about 90 species of birds found.
Orange County Commissioner Katrina Foley said: “We are beginning to see dead birds and fish washed up on the beach.”
Rep. Michelle Park Steel (Republican) of Korean descent sent a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden on the same day, asking for a declaration of a disaster zone in response to the disaster and urging the federal government to support recovery efforts. In addition, authorities canceled the last day of the Pacific Air Show, which drew 1.5 million people the day before, and closed Huntington Beach.
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