Randol White | KCBX
The pipeline company at the center of last year’s Santa Barbara oil spill is now facing criminal charges related to the incident.
California Attorney General Kamala Harris and Santa Barbara County District Attorney Joyce Dudley announced 46 criminal charges today against Plains All-American Pipeline.
According to Harris, the spill closed fisheries on the Central Coast, killed or injured hundreds of marine animals, and caused other damages too
Harris says, “It affected a Native American burial site and led to beach closures and affected tourism in this area, so there was wide-ranging impacts as a result of this conduct.”
In a statement, Plains All-American says it’s “deeply disappointed” by the decision to pursue criminal charges. It believes neither the company nor any of its employees engaged in criminal behavior.
The company faces up to $2.8 million in fines. An employee named in the case could get up to a year in county jail.
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