A federal grand jury indicted three companies Wednesday on charges of illegally discharging oil during a pipeline break that leaked thousands of gallons of crude oil into the ocean off Huntington Beach in early October.
The indictment, announced by U.S. Department of Justice officials, claims that Amplify Energy, owner of the pipeline that leaked 25,000 gallons of oil into the sea off Orange County, and two of its subsidiaries, failed to properly respond to eight separate leak alarms over 13 hours and improperly restarted a pipeline that had been shut down, among other allegations.
The indictment comes as cleanup and repairs related to the spill continue, and a civil legal battle over the spill is taking shape.
More to come
Related Articles
Complex legal battle over OC oil spill starts to take shape in federal court
Garden Grove man accused of hate crime for attacking clerk at Huntington Beach liquor store
Pomona woman arrested for Anaheim collision that left 3 men dead
Coachella music festival sues Live Nation over competing event
Former O.C. deputy accused of throwing scalding water on mentally ill inmate faces felony charges