A month after state’s worst oil leak in decades, the investigation into what went wrong is ongoing. In the meantime, officials are considering a bid to triple output
Just over a month after California experienced its worst oil spill in decades, the state is considering allowing a company to triple its oil production off the coast of Santa Barbara and run the oil through the same pipeline that leaked on 19 May.
Both oil producers Venoco and ExxonMobil had to halt operations in the region this week as crews continued repairing the ruptured pipeline and cleaning the beaches surrounding it. But that didn’t stop regulators at the State Lands Commission from holding a hearing for Venoco in Goleta, California.
Related: Ruptured pipeline on California coast spills oil into ocean – in pictures